Sans Zeppelin
by HydeLuver
Summary: What happens when the only constant in your life suddenly disappears? *Takes place nine months after the finale: don't worry no one is pregnant lol*
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I do _not _own That 70's Show or The facts of life (which is mentioned). The characters are not mine either, although Danny should be because he is extremely sexy. This first chapter is focused very much on Hyde and it serves as background. I had this story posted before, but didn't have time to update since I was working on Jackie Burkhart's Diary and that took longer than I thought it would, so I took this one down. I hope you guys like it!**

**Sans Zeppelin-Chapter 1**

_September 25, 1980_

The Forman's basement. For the latter part of the previous decade, the tiny, cluttered, grayroom served as the sanctuary for six distinct teenagers; a rebel, a princess, a feminist, a conformist, a foreigner, and a doofus. Despite their different personalities and backgrounds, these six managed to form a bond stronger than any of them would have hoped to form with anyone.

The problem of one became the problem of all and through their disagreements, hook ups and break ups, they grew up...and then grew apart.

The feminist and the conformist are now engaged and living in Madison where she attends college and he works at a bank saving money to _go _to college.

The foreigner is dating the conformist's once slutty sister, who is also ironically his wife, and lives with her in an apartment in Kenosha.

The doofus lives in Chicago with the mother of his illegitimate child and is still working at the Playboy club-he comes down to Point Place every other weekend.

The princess moved to California shortly after the new year (after her break up with the foreigner) and is working behind the scenes for a television show titled _The Facts of Life. _She has yet to come back to Point Place.

The rebel, on the other hand, seems to be making the least progress of the six. Still unsure of what he wants to do with his life, he has yet to move out of the Forman's basement and is still running _Grooves. _After he kicked his "wife" to the curb, he has gone back to his 'love-em-and-leave-em' ways and refuses to establish another meaningful relationship.

In the months that his friends have moved on with their lives, the rebel finds himself sitting in the basement alone and while he once loved the silence, it now drove him insane. On this particular day however, there was no silence seeing as how he was accompanied by the feminist, the conformist and the foreigner. He did not care about the randomness or insignificance of their conversation, he was just happy they were there, but of course he was not about to admit that. He was still slightly unsatisfied by the absence of the two other people who should have been there.

Actually, he was only bothered by the absence of the doofus because he no longer expected the princess to walk through the door, not that he wanted her to anyway. In fact, he had given up on that notion after their very last encounter, right before she announced she was leaving.

_Flashback-_

_February 2, 1980: The basement_

Steven Hyde was sitting in the basement alone. This was his life now-filled with solitude. His best friends were in Madison and Chicago and Fez and Jackie were so caught up with each other that they hardly remembered to come visit him anymore. Although, he was sure that was a good thing since he did not want to have to sit through their sickening make out sessions. The thought of his bossy ex-girlfriend and his perverted friend together made his feel sick to his stomach. It wasn't that he was jealous because, lets be serious, he was completely over Jackie, he just thought they should do that in private.

He was taken out of his trance when who should enter the basement but his foreign buddy.

Immediately, Hyde sensed Fez's anxiety and knew the little guy wanted to talk. _Dammit _thought Hyde who was never in the mood to share feelings. He always sided with Red whenever he said that men should bottle up their feelings, though he wasn't exactly sure if Fez could be considered a man.

"Hyde."

_Just pretend not to listen, maybe he'll go away _thought Hyde.

"Hyde"

Silence.

"Listen yousonofabitch I have something I need to say!"

"Fez what is it man? Can't you see I'm busy?" said Hyde pointing towards the TV.

"Hyde, the television is off and I am not a happy camper."

Sigh. "What's wrong Fez, did Jackie eat all your candy?"

"No, it's not that bad, she just broke up with me."

As if on cue, Jacqueline Burkhart barges in.

"Fez you didn't let me exp-oh...hi Steven" she said after noticing her ex-boyfriend.

"Jackie" he responds with a simple nod.

"Jackie if you came here to take me back, don't bother. You can't just pick up Fez whenever you want. Now good day!" said Fez.

"But Fez-"

"I said good day!" he said raising his hand and walking out of the basement.

Jackie let out a frustrated sigh before collapsing onto the couch. She tilts her head back and closes her eyes in an attempt to block out what had just happened...oh and to block out her ex boyfriend who was now looking in her direction.

"Steven can you please not say anything right now?"

"I wasn't going to say anything."

"Yeah, sure you weren't."

"I wasn't. I mean it's not my place to point out how incapable you are of keeping a guy around and how it was best that you broke up with Fez now because he was going to eventually run out on you once you begin to corner him into marrying you. But you know, I didn't say anything."

"Ugh you're such an asshole. For your information I was not going to corner Fez into marrying me and I can sooo keep a guy around. As a matter of fact any guy would be lucky to be with me."

"Oh, I wouldn't really consider myself lucky to have been with you. Cursed is a better word. Maybe even crazy."

"Shut up Steven! Don't think it was such a privilege to have dated you either."

"I wouldn't call it a privilege babe. I would say it was more like a blessing."

"Yeah a real blessing from hell."

"Yeah, that's why you constantly nagged me to marry you. What a hell that must have been."

No response. Hyde smirked knowing that he had gotten to her.

"Face it Jackie, the problem in your relationships is you. Kelso is happier than ever now, I feel like I've had a cancerous tumor removed from my brain, and Fez, well I'm sure by now he's found some candy and a nudy magazine and has forgotten about you. Just accept that this is what your life will be like-a failed relationship after another one."

"Steven Hyde you...you..I hate you and I hope I never see your stupid face again" she responded on the verge of tears.

"That's going to be hard to do if you keep coming around babe" he said with a devilish grin.

"UGH I HATE YOU!" she said with a shrill scream and ran out the door.

_End of flashback-_

It had taken a few minutes after Jackie left for Hyde to acknowledge the harshness of his words, but he had no intention of apologizing. He was sure Jackie would get over it and be back the next day. However, she wasn't back the next day, or the day after that, or the day after that. In fact, she didn't show up for an entire week. When she did go back it was to announce that she was leaving Point Place and all the bad memories behind and was moving to California.

"Hey Hyde can you get me a cherry pop man?" asked Eric from the couch.

"Uh, yeah man sure" said Hyde getting up from his chair and heading to the deep freeze.

After handing Eric the pop and retaking his seat Hyde quickly looked at the inhabitants of the basement. _'Almost like old times' _he thought.

Suddenly, the door bursts open and in comes stumbling Michael Kelso who is breathlessly trying to speak.

"Kelso, relax. What's going on?" says Donna.

Kelso takes an exaggerated breath before revealing what must have been the worst news yet...

**A/N2: *Gasps* What could it be? Can you guess what the news is? These damn cliffhangers lol. Let me know it you like it so far...A review is a great way to do this!**


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: **_**Thank you everyone for the reviews on the first chapter. I've been pretty excited about this story for a while and I'm glad a few of you have liked it so far. Mart guessed in the reviews that the news had to do with Bonham's death (which is also related to the story's title). Anyways, here's the second chapter. Hopefully you enjoy it. I'll put up chapter three next week so look out for it! Don't forget to review!  
**

_Suddenly, the door bursts open and in comes stumbling Michael Kelso who is breathlessly trying to speak._

"_Kelso, relax. What's going on?" says Donna._

_Kelso takes an exaggerated breath before revealing what must have been the worse news yet..._

"BONHAM'S DEAD!" he shouts while flinging his arms wrecklessly around.  
"WHAT?" say all the inhabitants of the basement in unison.

"BONHAM'S DEAD! I was just at The Hub trying to beat my high score in pinball and they announced it on the radio!"  
"Kelso, that can't be right man, Bonham can't be dead" said Hyde who refused to believe the news his friend had just delivered.  
"Hyde, man I'm telling you I heard it with these two ears" he said while idiotically pointing at his eyes instead.

"Just put on the news Hyde" said Donna.  
Hyde got up from his chair, leaned towards the television and turned on the news, where the announcer confirmed the horrible news.  
"Now for today's breaking news. Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham was found dead in the Clewer,Windsor home of fellow band member Jimmy Page. Tour manager Benji LeFevre discovered the body this afternoon. The reason for Bonham's death has not yet been determined. The artist was just 32 years old. Please stay tuned as we follow up on this tragic story."  
As another announcer began to report on Carter's campaign, the gang sat stunned and speechless. For a few minutes no one could do anything but stare at the television.  
Finally, Donna broke the silence.  
"This really can not be happening, we were just listening to Zeppelin this morning and now Bonham's dead."  
"Seriously, I couldn't even beat my score after that. It was like my hands didn't work" said Kelso flailing his arms around.

"Kelso, watch your arms, you're going to hurt someone" said Eric just as Hyde got out from his seat and started heading for the door.

"Hyde, where are you going?" asked Donna.

"I just have a few things I have to take care of" and with that he exited the basement.

_**In the Forman's Driveway**_

He needed to get away. Everywhere appeared to be closing in on him and he was having trouble breathing. 'He can't be dead man, it's just a bad dream.'

He wasn't sure why he was reacting the way he was. It isn't like he knew John Bonham personally and it isn't like Zeppelin was breaking up (as far as he was concerned anyways) but something inside of him triggered his emotions and he could no longer keep them bottled up. Years of anger, disappointment and hurt came pouring out and had caused him abruptly leave his friends behind.

"Hyde" said Eric from a few feet away.

"Not now Forman"

"What was that about?"

"I said not now."

"What's going on Hyde? I mean-" Eric started but was cut off.

"Look Forman, I really don't want to talk about it."

"Hyde, I'm your best friend and it's obvious that something is bothering you so if you want to talk about it, I'll listen...And I promise I won't burn you with it later."

Hyde smiled at this. He then walked over to the bed of the El Camino and took a seat. Eric followed him and both sat in silence for a few minutes before Hyde started.

"I don't know what it is"

"I know you're not big on sharing your feelings, so if you really don't want to talk about it I understand, I just wanted to help."

"Forman, I'm telling you I don't know what it is. This was like the last straw."

"What do you mean?"

"Look, you probably won't understand, but Zeppelin is the only constant in my life-the only thing that hasn't changed."

"A lot of things haven't changed Hyde."

"Yeah? Like what?"

"Hm..well..well we all still hang out in the basement."

Hyde shook his head no.

"Well, you still wear sunglasses indoors, Fez is still a candy-loving pervert, Kelso's as big an idiot as ever and Donna and I are still together. Things are like they've always been."

"You don't really believe that do you?"

Eric pursed his lips, looked down at the ground and shook his head. "No, I guess I don't."

"Listen Forman, you guys all went out to start your lives and everything changed around here. The only thing that didn't change was that I would come in every day after work and listen to Zeppelin. I stayed the same and they stayed the same, just like it's always been. But now, they changed."

"Hyde, man sometimes things happen so that we realize that we need to change."

Hyde looked at Eric square in the eyes and nodded his head slightly.

"Way to be a girl Forman."

Eric smiled and hopped off the El Camino.

"Yeah well...shut up."

Hyde laughs at Eric's weak comeback and hops off the Camino's bed also.

"Hey, I'm going for a drive. I'll be back in a few hours."

"Hyde, I'm not sure that's a good idea. No offense, but you have a record of doing stupid things when you're upset."

"Forman, I'll be fine okay. I'll be back in no time."

"Fine, but if you're not I'm telling Red to put his foot up your ass. God knows he's been dying to actually do it."

Hyde nods his head and heads over to the driver's seat.

As he pulls out of the driveway, Eric can't help but to think that it wasn't very smart to let him go and hoped that his friend wouldn't do something he'll regret.

_**Somewhere in California**_

Jackie Burkhart sat in her chair sipping on a cup of coffee. She hated Thursdays because no filming took place and it meant that she had to sit in a meeting with the other executives of the shows and the writers and try to figure out new plots.

"What if they break something and as punishment have to work to pay off the damages?" suggested one writer.

"That might be good. We can really develop Blair's character. Yes, sounds good, work on developing that" said another one.

As suggestions kept going back and forth and ideas were picked up or dropped, Jackie began thinking about other places she would rather be at.

_'Home taking a hot shower, shopping. I definitely could use a new skirt and a few tops. Wisconsin...no not Wisconsin, there's nothing there for me anymore."_

"Jackie, what do you think?" asked Ben Starr, one of the show's developers.

Taken out of her trance, Jackie looks around the table trying to figure out what she should answer. Luckily for her, one of the writers was subtly nodding her head yes.

"Uh, I think it's good and we should work it into the show."

"Okay, that settles it. Expand that plot further and have it on my desk in two weeks. Now if no one has anything else to say-"

"I um, have something to say" interrupted a writer.

_'Ugh come on,' _thought Jackie _'just shut up so we can go home.'  
_"Um, I know it has nothing to do with the show, but I just wanted to inform you guys that John Bonham was found dead earlier today."

"Bonham from Led Zeppelin?"

At the mention of Zeppelin, Jackie's ears perked up.

"Yes. Their manager found him dead earlier."

Her heart sank and her mind went directly to Hyde. She hadn't spoken to him in months and didn't know if he still liked Zeppelin, though she was sure he did, and assumed that if he knew, he was pretty upset.

"Well, thanks for letting us know Larry, that's very tragic news. I think we should end this meeting here" said Starr and everyone nodded in agreement.

Jackie gathered her belongings and walked out of the building towards her car.

After all these months, she occasionally thought about Hyde and she still wanted him to be happy, even if it wasn't with her.

As she began driving away from the studio, she couldn't help but feel that something was wrong. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Mount Hump:**

It had been about half hour since he walked out of the basement and Hyde found himself parked in the one place that caused him both happiness and grief. Just a mere three years ago, he and a certain dark-haired princess had parked in the very same spot on Veteran's Day. Granted, while nothing extraordinary happened between the two, that occurrence was the beginning of a long history between two people who despite loving each other, did nothing but hurt one another. This wasn't the first time Hyde found himself parked in Mount Hump, in fact it had become his oasis when things got too hard to deal with.

Life had become too inconsistent for Hyde's liking. His friends going off to college, starting new jobs in new places and relationships with new people...Hyde didn't like change, and that much everyone knew. The only things that had remained the same were his ability to run away from his problems, Zeppelin, and this spot. 'Two out of three isn't too bad' he thought. Besides, the band was still together as far as Hyde was concerned..Plant, Page and JPJ. But Zeppelin without Bonham was like Hyde without Jackie. Anyone else would just be an imitation that fell short to the original.

Sadly enough it took Hyde three years, a fake stripper marriage and a fallen drummer to realize that his life isn't as great as he thought it was. So as he laid back on the hood of the El Camino, he pulled out a cigarette from the carton and thought of the times when his life was better.

_**FLASHBACK-**_

"Steven I'm so proud of you! Working in an office, wearing a suit. I knew you had potential" said Jackie as she followed him into the small space he called a room. Rather than answer her, all he could do was flop down on his bed, exhausted, and try to tune out her shrill voice.

"See the SATs were right, and that means that we'll be rich. Oh we'll have a beautiful wedding with horses and doves and-Steven are you even listening to me?" Jackie asks seeing her boyfriend's face buried under his pillow.

"No, now stop talking" he uttered.

"Well excuse me for trying to plan our future together" she said while folding her arms across her chest and rolling her eyes in typical Jackie fashion.

Hyde reluctantly moved the pillow away from his face and sat up on the cot. "Stop with all this future talk. We agreed that you wouldn't talk about it."

"No, you agreed! But things are changing and in case you haven't noticed, they're changing fast so I'm sorry if it scares you, but your future is happening right now and having a plan for it is only logical."

"Logical? Sorry babe but you're not one to preach on logic. And the future doesn't scare me, I just would rather take it as it comes, it's more fun that way."

At this point Hyde got up from the cot and started undoing his tie and un-buttoning his shirt.

"Steven?"

"Huh?"

"Do you see a future with me?"

He stops. Not this again!

"Jackie, we've been over this already."

"Yeah but you never answered. And now I can't help but think that deep down you don't see yourself with me so I would rather you tell me now so I can count my losses."

He turns to look at her on the other side of the tiny room. Her arms are still folded but not in the manner that says she means business, but they serve as a defense mechanism. He sees that the idea of not being with him scared her, and frankly it scared him too. He couldn't bring himself to say it but she was his constant, his safety. As long as he had her, it didn't matter what changed around him because he knew she would help him through it. He wishes nothing more than to give her that reassurance, tell her that they would be together in the long run, that he would give her the wedding of her dreams...but he didn't know if they would or he could, so he didn't tell her.

"It's not about that and you know it."

"Then what is it about?"

"Jackie, stop."

"No Steven! I want to know that all the time and effort I've put into our relationship has been worth it. I don't want to wake up one day to you realizing we're not right for each other."

"We already aren't right for each other" he states matter-of-factly.

He looked over to her and saw her expression; a mixture between shock and sadness and he knew she had taken it the wrong way so he walked over to her, cupped her face with his hands and said, "but we work" right before placing a kiss on her forehead.

"For how long will we work though?"

Her constant pushing always drove him up the wall. When she wasn't asking for gifts, she wanted words he couldn't speak and promises he wasn't sure he could keep. He both loved and hated that about her. He loved it because it made him want to be better, yet he hated it because it was a constant reminder that things were changing.

"Is what we have not enough for you?"

"Don't do that! Don't make this about me."

"It clearly is about you because I'm perfectly fine with how things are going."

"Damn it Steven stop settling. You always just settle for what's convenient at the moment. Please look around you. Everything and everyone is changing and no matter how much you wants things to remain the same, they're not going to...I'm not going to."

"Settling? So what now we're settling?"

"No, you're settling. I love you and I'm more than willing to spend the rest of my life with you. But if you don't see it happening for us, then please tell me so I don't settle."

"Jackie, we're kids. Why do we need to decide this now?"

"We're not kids Steven. We stopped being kids a long time ago you just don't want to accept that."

He had in fact realized that they were no longer dumbass kids passing the time in the Forman basement. Life was indeed passing them by and he hadn't caught a grasp of it, wasn't sure if he wanted to yet. There was nothing wrong with wanting to stay young forever. That is unless your ninety-five pound girlfriend demanded you grew the hell up.

"Jackie," he began, his voice in that husky tone he used only when things were serious, "are you happy?"

"What?"

The question caught her a bit off guard. It wasn't so much the question itself but rather that he asked it. Her boyfriend very rarely, if ever, wanted to discuss feelings. It was one of the things that everyone knew about him, yet there he was, standing just a few feet away from her, asking whether or not she was content.

"With what?"

He let out an exaggerated breath. 'She really loves these little games' he thought.

"With us. Our relationship. Are you happy?"

"I'm not unhappy" she responded.

"Yes or no."

"I don't know."

"Then who should I ask if not you? Yes or no?"

"I...um..I'm not sure."

He remained silent this time and just stared at her and he wasn't surprised when she did the same. This was their thing, trying to get the other to cave in, push each other's buttons to see who could last the longer. It didn't matter what they were doing, holding their breath, arguing...hell even sex was a competition between them. Who could last the longer?

Well, Steven Hyde would be damned if he lost this time and sure enough, a few minutes later, Jackie caved.

"Fine! I'm happy okay? I am happy, you know that, but-"

"No. No buts. For once just let that be it. You're happy, I'm happy. Let's just...be happy okay?"

Happy. Steven Hyde is happy. Although she wasn't fully satisfied with the answer, she let it go because at that moment everything seemed okay and if two people are happy being together, that means they will be happy together in the future...right?

_**End of Flashback-**_

_****_Taking the last drag from his cigarette, Hyde sat up on the hood and couldn't help but smile. Things with Jackie hadn't been perfect, far from it. It had always been a love-hate relationship with them, no middle ground and the times that Hyde spent thinking of their time together made him realize that maybe it was time to grow up and finally take some responsibility for his past actions, and he knew just where he needed to begin.

**A/N: First of all, I want to apologize for the long delay. My computer crashed and I couldn't update! Another chapter should be up before the end of the this week. Secondly, I know this chapter was pretty much all about Hyde but the next few won't be so stick around and hopefully you guys are still enjoying the story and don't forget to review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: hi guys! I know it's been forever and I've realized I've gotten so bad at updating this story, but it's only because I still haven't figured out where I want it to go. I have more of an idea now so it shouldn't take as long as it's been taking to put up new chapters. I already started the next chapter (which will definitely be longer than this one) so that should be up sometime by the middle of next week. Also, thanks for the reviews so far, I'm definitely reading them but for whatever reason ff won't allow me to reply to them (I always get an error page when I click reply) but just know that I truly appreciate them and hope you guys are enjoying the story.  
**  
California-

"Annnd cut. That's a wrap for today, great job everyone."

Jackie Burkhart sits in the back of the studio watching the actors finish up the last scene of the day. It had been a long day of work; she had to edit and re-edit the script for the episode multiple times, had a few meetings with the writers and director, all on just a couple of hours of sleep. To say she was exhausted was an understatement. Though frankly she would much rather keep busy than sit in an empty apartment all day.

Even after all these months living on her own, Jackie hadn't become accustomed to the solitude she faced when arriving home. Being alone was not something she knew growing up. There was always someone around, whether it was her parents, the maids, her cheerleader friends, or the basement gang, she was never truly alone.

She had tried dating when she first moved to California. It had been hard but she managed to meet a few nice guys. One in particular, Jason, made her forget about the heartbreak and loneliness she felt. He wasn't the kind of guy she would usually go for. He was a student at the University of Southern California studying history. He came from a fairly wealthy family and his hobbies included reading, visiting museums and swimming. Pretty much the complete opposite of Steven. Yet she found herself falling quickly for his witty charm and numerous compliments.

For a few months they were nearly inseparable, going out to dinner and events at his school or just staying in her apartment enjoying each others company. Jason even introduced her to a few of his friends and ultimately helped her land her current job. However, after a while, Jackie realized that they had very little in common and both decided to continue on as friends, something she had very little of nowadays.

She found it amusing that in a matter of three years she went from most popular girl in school, to having a select few friends to being all alone in California having to start her life over, and all because of two guys, one who constantly cheated and one who refused to return her love and settle down with her.

Before her relationships with Kelso and Hyde, Jackie had prided herself on being a strong young woman who did not let guys run all over her and take her for granted. She wanted to be appreciated and treated as an equal in her relationships. After seeing the destructive marriage her parents had throughout the years (with the alcoholism, constant cheating and abandonment) she promised herself that she would not have that same life, that she would find someone who would consider themselves lucky to be with her.

She thought she had that with Michael, but of course at the age of fourteen she was too naive to realize that what she wanted was not what he wanted at the time. She wanted the "high school sweetheart" story complete with the white picket fence, children and a dog. Apparently he wanted to get through as many girls as possible to prove his "manhood" to his idiotic friends.

Then, of course, there was Hyde. As far as complex goes, they were the quantum physics of couples. It was always something with them, whether it was Kelso, fear of commitment, cheating or a brain dead stripper, it never seemed to work out for them. What made it worst is that deep down, she knew he wanted the exact same things she wanted. He wanted a family and someone who loved him, something he never had before. She was sure they would have worked out and that their lives would have been perfect, but between her constant need to push and his pride, they sabotaged their opportunity to finally be happy. And not that she didn't think he was happy (frankly she had no idea since she hadn't spoken to him in months) but she sure as hell wasn't. She wasn't miserable, but she definitely was not happy.

She thought back at the last time she was truly happy and it seemed like it was too long ago, and coincidentally, it was a quick moment she had with Hyde, right before she left for Chicago.

_**Flashback-**_

"Steven, why are we in the water tower right now? I thought we were going to the Forman's."

"Jackie, stop asking questions and just climb up."

"Ugh, fine!" She began to climb the ladder all the while thinking that her boyfriend was being extremely rude. She was about to tell him off when, after making it up the ladder, she saw a picnic blanket and basket. She turned to look at him and he had his hands crossed and his famous grin on his face. She felt a little embarrassed for almost chewing his head off but couldn't help but smile. Hyde wasn't a romantic guy. Hell, she didn't even think he knew what the word romance meant half the time, but the rare moments when he did things like this were enough to melt her heart and make her fall in love with him all over again.

"Steven, what's all this for?"

He walked closer to her and just stared at her. After a minute or so of him just staring, she began to get uncomfortable and started to turn away from him, but he grabbed her hand to stop her and pulled her into a kiss. They broke apart a few seconds later and he said, "I'm not ready to settle down, and I don't know that I will be anytime soon. I know that isn't what you want to hear but if and when the time comes where I do want to get married and all that other stuff, I wouldn't want anyone but you."

She smiled. Yes it wasn't what she wanted him to say, but this was Steven, her Steven, and that moment, knowing that he would only want a future with her, was more than enough.

**-_End flashback_**

Jackie couldn't help to smile at the memory. Through all the ups and downs and heartaches she went through with Steven James Hyde, she still couldn't deny that she truly and unconditionally loved him. Til this day he was the only man who helped her grow and who was there for her no matter what situation she faced. He was the only person she had ever felt complete with.

Setting her bad down on kitchen counter, she walked over to the couch, reached over to her answering machine to listen to her messages. The first one was from one of the show's writers inviting her out for drinks later that night. The second one caught her completely by surprise.

"Hey Jackie, it's Eric. Eric Forman. Um..I guess you're not home so I'll just leave a message. It's..It's Hyde. He was in an accident. Please call me back. Bye."


	5. Chapter 5

Jackie's heart dropped as the message ended. She should have known something was wrong as soon as she heard Eric's voice on the answering machine. Besides Hyde, Eric was the one person she hardly kept in contact with. She couldn't believe Steven had gotten into an accident. She also couldn't believe how fast feelings of concern arose. For the last nine months, she had attempted to bury any memory or feeling she had for Hyde, yet here she was, short of breath praying that he was okay.

She ran to her bedroom and searched through her drawers for her address book. It had been a while since she had dialed the Forman's number and did not remember it. It took her several minutes to find it and once she did, she quickly returned to the phone and dialed the digits that would reconnect her with her past. As the line began to ring, she let out a heavy sigh. She didn't know what would happen when someone picked up the other line and was very nervous.

"Mr. Sexy's Pizza, how can I help you?"

"Hello?" replied Jackie confused.

"Yes, hello. Our special today is sexeroni with a side of Fez."

Jackie shook her head. Of course she should have guessed it was Fez, but how could he be pulling pranks at a time like this?

"Fez, can you put Eric on the phone?"

"Yes, may I ask who's speaking."

Jackie was shocked. Had it truly been that long since she had last spoken to her ex-boyfriend that he had already forgotten what her voice sounded like? '_oh hell' she thought, 'this isn't the time to worry about that.'_

"Just put him on the phone."

"Fine, no need to be so bossy...wait is this Jackie?"

"Yes Fez it is, now please put Eric on the phone. It's important."

"No one ever calls to talk to Fez. It's always for someone else and I am sick of it. Now good day."

"But Fez-"

"I said good day!"

The phone went silent for a couple of seconds and Jackie couldn't figure out if Fez had hung up or not and just as she was about to put the phone back on the receiver she heard Eric's voice on the other end.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Eric, it's Jackie. I just got your message. What happened to Steven? Is he okay?"

"Hey, yeah he's doing better now. They're leaving him in the hospital for a few more days to run tests on him and stuff but it's not too bad."

"Well what happened? How did he get into an accident?"

"We're actually not too sure. All we know is that he was driving his car and all of a sudden he crashed into another car. The El Camino is completely destroyed but everyone was okay."

"Has he said anything? Is everything fine?"  
"He's still pretty out of it from all the drugs they've given him but the doctors say he's going to be alright."  
"Oh thank God. From your message I thought it was serious."  
"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I had just gotten the call and was panicking when I called you."  
"It's okay, he's your best friend I understand, but..um...why did you call me?"  
"What do you mean?" asked Eric.  
"I mean I haven't spoken to Steven in almost a year. Honestly, I haven't spoke to you much either. So what made you think to call me?"  
"Oh, well you're still part of the group and...well..I never really thought you stopped loving Hyde so I knew I had to call and tell you."  
"Well I appreciate you calling me but Eric, I'm not in love with Steven anymore just so you know."  
"It doesn't mean you don't love him. Jackie I have to get going now but I'll call you tonight to let you know how he's doing okay?"  
"Ok sure, thanks for calling again."  
"No problem Jackie."

As she set the phone back on its base, Jackie thought about what Eric said about still loving Steven even if she was no longer in love with him and she figured that would be true for as long as she lived. Even after all the pain she had suffered throughout their relationship, he was her first real love. He had challenged her to step out of her comfort zone and become a person she could be proud of, and even if he did shatter her heart into a million pieces, she could at least acknowledge the impact he had on her.

Even today, almost two years after their relationship ended, she found herself using many things he taught her. Zen, for example, was her "go to" method of emotional protection. By pretending not to care about pretty much anything, as he had taught her to do, Jackie was able to quickly get over many situations which years ago would have destroyed her.

The one thing she was most thankful for was that he had managed to crack the naïve and shallow exterior she once possessed and helped her transform into a woman who saw that the world was more than just rainbows and unicorns. While at first she had blamed him for doing away with her innocent perception of her surroundings, she came to understand that he helped her become someone who was caring, compassionate and strong. These traits, as well as others she'd acquired throughout her time with Steven, helped her survive in a new city on her own.

She would be lying if she said she didn't love him for she knew she did. Deep down she always knew, but the part of her that he had broken wanted nothing more but to fully and completely hate him. That part, the one that no longer knew who that man was, only remembered heartache and disloyalty. It remembered being tossed aside as some blonde bimbo took her place in his lap, his bed and ultimately his heart. The man she saw during her last months in Wisconsin was not the one she had grown to love but a cold-hearted monster who enjoyed hurting her.

And now he was the one who was hurt. Even though Eric had said Steven was going to be alright, she worried about him.

'God Steven how do you always manage to make these feelings come back?' she thought as she headed towards her bedroom for some much needed sleep until Eric called back later.


	6. Chapter 5 part 2

On another side of the country, Steven Hyde laid in a hospital bed as nurses went in and out of his room, asking how he was feeling him or giving him more drugs to scoff down. It had been but a couple of hours since he was admitted into the hospital but it already felt like an eternity.

Also, for a reason he did not want to recall, he cringed whenever a nurse entered the room. Every time one came in his mind reeled back to the time he sat in his El Camino with Jackie telling her he cheated on her with a nurse. God he had really felt like a dumbass then. He had but a mere days prior realized that he was falling in love Jackie, which scared the shit out of him, but he strangely liked the feeling. Then, as if on cue, his walls came closing in on him as they had endless times in the past and made him push her away. All because he thought she was with Kelso behind his back.

He remembered the look on her face when she realized what he was trying to tell her. The hurt she expressed was minuscule compared to how disappointed she must have been. Steven Hyde was never too concerned with hurting others, hell he had hurt Jackie before (though not in such harsh ways) but he did care if he disappointed those he loved, and Jackie topped that list of people.

He knew he didn't deserve a second chance once she ran off, but he would be damned if he didn't make an effort.

For many days after that he called her and went to Donna's house, though to no avail because she refused to see or speak to him. Of course he couldn't blame her. He probably wouldn't either if the tables were turned...not that they ever would be.

Jackie wasn't the kind of girl to cheat on a boyfriend, especially one she claimed to love. See, Jackie loves hard and she puts her all into her relationships. How Hyde could have thought she was cheating with Kelso, both the day of the nurse exposition and Chicago, was beyond him. His best bet was that he wasn't as secure as he appeared to be.

"Hey Hyde man" said Eric who had just entered the room holding a few balloons.

"Wow Forman, thanks for the balloons, but don't expect me to put out" replied Hyde.

"Ha-ha funny, these are from mom. She just couldn't stand the thought of you being in a balloon-less room" answered Eric while rolling his eyes and releasing the balloons in a corner of the room facing Hyde.

"Right. What are you doing here, shouldn't you be in Madison working or like preparing Donna dinner?"

"Seriously, your humor kills me. No, I took off for a few days to...you know. Donna's staying over at a friend's house until I get back."

"Forman, you do know I'm fine right? You don't have to stay here."

"I know I don't have to."

Hyde simply nodded at the response. Eric Forman was always looking out for his friends and putting them first, no matter what. He wasn't afraid to open up and talk about feelings and all that other crap. While this could be a little annoying at times, it was something Hyde had grown to appreciate and even envy to some extent. After all, Forman"s managed to keep Donna all these years so maybe there was a method to the madness

"Fez said he'll drop by after he gets a hold of Laurie."

"What, are the phone busy at the strip club?"

"I guess so."

"I still can't believe those two are together."

"Not just together, married. Not even Donna and I managed that."

"Well to be fair, had you not run off you would have."

"Thanks for the reminder."

"No problem."

"Speaking of reminders, I spoke to Jackie earlier."

"Jackie? Which Jackie?" asks Hyde.

"How many Jackie's do you know?"

No answer. Eric could see how tensed Hyde got but decided to continue the conversation anyways.

"Anyways, I told her about your accident and she seemed really worry so I told her I'd call her later tonight but I was thinking that maybe you should call. I'm sure she'll feel better hearing that you're okay from you."

"Right and Leo's Einstein. Jackie and I haven't spoken in almost a year Forman, I'm sure she's less worried than you think."

"I think she was pretty genuine actually. This is Jackie we're talking about, she always worried about you."

"Alright now we're definitely talking about another Jackie because the only thing Jackie *Burkhart* ever cared about was money and gifts."

"You know you don't really think that right?"

Again no answer, and this time it was Eric's time to nod.

"I took the number down in case you decided to call. I'll put it on your bedside table here. I should probably get going but I'll come tomorrow."

"Yeah okay, thanks Forman. Oh tell Mrs. Forman thanks for the balloons."

As Eric walked towards the door he said, "you should really call her Hyde. She's really worried," and exited the room.

For a few minutes after Eric's departure Hyde contemplated how a conversation with Jackie would go after many months of not speaking to one another. His thoughts came up as two extremes: either she would express feelings of love and forgiveness towards him or completely chew his head off for being a dumbass. Extremes always did seem to be their thing, so he figured he might as well do it.

Slowly, Hyde picked up the receiver and dialed the number on the small piece of paper Eric had left. The digits were so unfamiliar to him, and he was hoping the person on the other line wouldn't be also.

The ringing seemed to go on forever in Hyde's mind until finally he heard a click and then a voice he knew all too well.

"Hello?"

****

A/N2: I know..another cliffhanger. I'm sorry but I want to leave the actual conversation for a different chapter but I needed to add this part to the story. I'll update really soon, either this weekend or at the beginning of the upcoming week. Thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 6

Slowly, Hyde picked up the receiver and dialed the number on the small piece of paper Eric had left. The digits were so unfamiliar to him, and he was hoping the person on the other line wouldn't be also.

The ringing seemed to go on forever in Hyde's mind until finally he heard a click and then a voice he knew all too well.

"Hello?"

**  
As soon as he heard Jackie's voice, Hyde contemplated hanging up the phone. What would he say to her? 'Hey I haven't spoken to you since I chose the stripper over you, how's life?' She would probably hang up on him. But hanging up would just be childish, and that was something he was not..anymore.

"Hello?" Jackie asked again.

"Um..yeah hello, is this, uh..Jackie?"

"Yes, this is she. Who's this?"

"Hey, it's Steven...uh Hyde" he finally responded.

For a few seconds there was what seemed like an uncomfortable silence before she spoke again.

"Oh my gosh, Steven are you okay? Are you still in the hospital? What did the doctors tell you? Tell me everything."

Hyde sighed in relief. He was thankful to see that as far as he could see she was still the same Jackie and that she obviously cared about him.

"I'm ok. I have to stay in the hospital for a day or two for tests but the doctors said everything's fine."

"Oh thank God. When Eric called I got really nervous."

"Sorry about that."

"It's okay, just glad to know you're alright."

"Yeah, um...I thought I would call and let you know."

"Thank you."

"Yeah, sure."

Once again, there was a sudden silence between the two in which it hit them that this was the first time they were speaking in nine months.

"So...how are things?" Hyde finally continued.

"Um, good. Really good actually. With you?"

"Oh you know, the usual. As good as it gets here in Point Place."

"I can imagine."

"Yeah. So Donna told me you work for 'The Facts of Life' now. That must be exciting."

"Well I'm just behind the scenes so it's not really that exciting."

"Oh well, sorry then."

"It's okay, pays the bill you know."

Hyde uttered some unintelligible sounds which she took as a sign of his understanding.

"So... What exactly happened?"

"Oh, um...just got distracted and drove into this other car. Stupid mistake. I'm pretty sure the Camino is totaled also which sucks."

Jackie laughed. "I see you still have your priorities in order seeing as how that is your main concern."

"Yeah man, I loved that car."

"I know you did Steven."

There was a short silence this time and the Hyde said, "hey Jacks I have to go now. Is it...um..alright if I call you again?" She was surprised to hear how nervous he was asking her and it seemed endearing, a word she had never though of when it came to him.

"Yes, feel free to call whenever."

"Whenever?"

She laughed again. "At a decent time Steven, I know you suffer from insomnia but I'm usually not up at three in the morning."

A small smile formed on his face and he said good bye to her again and reluctantly hung up the telephone.

It had felt nice to talk to her after such a long time. It was also not what he had expected. He expected yelling and indifference but she was the completely opposite. She was cool, collected...zen. And most important, she was caring. It actually appeared as if she gave a damn about him which made him feel really good, though he wouldn't admit it .

"Alright Mr. Hyde I'm just going to change your IV since you're almost done with this one" said a nurse that had walked into his room. "Also," she continued, "Ms. Wright is going to be taking care of you for the night shift. She has all your information and will take good care of you."

Hyde simply nodded. He didn't particularly care which nurse was assigned to him and just wanted to get some rest since his head was killing him.

"Okay, all set Mr. Hyde. Have a good night and I'll see you bright and early tomorrow."

He mumbled a sarcastic response, along the lines of "the hell you will." If he was awoken before 12pm, there would be hell to pay.

As the nurse exited the room, she flipped the light switch off and within minutes, Hyde was asleep.

Over in California however, Jackie was not as peaceful as Hyde was.

The shock of having spoken to Steven after so many months had her a bit shaken up. Even though the conversation had went better than she could have imagined it in her mind, she had not been mentally prepared to speak to him. She had played many scenarios in her mind of when she would get a chance to speak to Hyde again, but she had not anticipated for it to happen now or under the situation where he was in the hospital.

All the things she wanted to say to him regarding all the hurt she felt, and how she was not the same person she was before flew out the window because, like old times, she wanted to comfort him and make him feel better, and this scared Jackie to no end. After all they had been through and all the heartbreaks they both endured, she still wanted to be the one who took care of him and she could not take on that role anymore, she still wasn't strong enough to put herself in that position. That was the problem with her and Steven Hyde, no matter how much they hurt each other, they always went in this continuous circle, and it was time to break that cycle. That's what she needed, what she wanted.

But then...why did she tell him it was okay if he called back?


	8. AN

**A/N: Guys I am SOOO sorry for not updating this story in over a month, but I have been so busy with school I hardly have time to sleep let alone update. Thankfully the semester is almost done (with my last final being on the 21st) so after that I will be updating more often for a whole month before the next semester starts...Blame school (I do it all the time!)**

****Again I'm very sorry**

Liz


	9. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hi guys. Again I'm very sorry for the lack of updates in the last month or so, but I was so busy with school, but now that I am officially done, I can devote more time to this story. Also it should not take too much time for me to update more often because I finally figured out where I want this story to go and how I want it to get there. Like I said before, I have been very excited about this story for quite some time so it means a lot that people are still reading it. To those of you who have reviewed it, you're definitely a motivation to keep this going and thank you so much for letting me know what you think. So I'll stop now and let you guys get started with this long overdue chapter. Enjoy!**

-**Flashback-**

October 1979:

Hyde walks in the kitchen and finds Red Forman sitting in his usual seat by the round table reading the newspaper.

"Where's Mrs. Forman?" Hyde asks.

"Out" responded Red without looking up from his paper.

Hyde smirks a little at the response. Of course Red Forman would give such a simple answer, it's who he is. Hyde opens up the refrigerator door and takes out a beer.

"That better not be mine" said Red, again without tearing his eyes away from the paper.

"It's not" replied Hyde. He then walks over to the round table and takes his seat next to Red.

For a couple of minutes both men sat in silence, which both appreciated. Unfortunately, that silence was disturbed by a crop top wearing blonde, otherwise known as Samantha Hyde.

"Hyde I told you to stop leaving all your crap around the room. I tripped over this stupid box."

Hyde looked up to see what the hell she was talking about and panicked when he saw what box she was talking about. It was his Jackie box. He hadn't looked through it in months.

Hyde practically jumped out of his seat and snatched the box out of Sam's hands.

"And I've told you that it's my room and I can leave my things wherever the hell I want."

"Not anymore you can't."

"And why is that?" Hyde asked, knowing what her answer would be but frankly not giving a damn.

"Because you're married now. To me. So if I say to pick up all your crap, pick it up" and with that Sam walked back out through the swinging door leaving Red and Hyde alone.

"Can you believe her man? Who the hell does she think she is bossing me around?"

"Your wife son. It's what they do."

"Marriage can't suck this badly."

This comment actually made Red look up from his paper.

"Not every marriage sucks son."

"Mr. Forman, please don't tell me that I'm a dumbass who made a huge mistake. I hear that enough from Mrs. Forman."

"Steven, you're a man now and whatever decisions you made are yours, but just know that marriage only sucks when you're with the wrong person."

Red folded up his paper, got up from his chair and headed out through the sliding door that led to the garage but managed to sneak in a "by the way, you are a dumbass" before exiting.

Hyde smirked and turned back to the table where his beer was (no longer frothy the way he liked it) next to his Jackie box. He had forgotten all about it and didn't know why he still had it, but for some reason, he had the urge to look through it.

He opened up the small box and found various things that instantly brought a wave of memories. There was everything from movie stubs from their dates to love letters she had written him. He had even saved the troll doll with the note she had put in his lunch bag on his first day of work at W.B's office.

Hyde picked up a frilly, pink greeting card Jackie had given him for their first anniversary. He couldn't help but smile once he opened it. Her girl hand-writing and the word "puddin' Pop" made him feel as he did when he first read it nealy two years prior.

"Puddin' Pop," he began to read, "words won't begin to express how happy you have made me this past year. I wake up every day feeling blessed to have you in my life and I hope to always wake up to that feeling. You have exceeded so many expectations Steven, and have become such a great man. I feel lucky to be able to call you my boyfriend. Thank you for everything you have given me. I love you very much. -Jackie"

Her name was signed (with a smiley face on top of the 'I' of course). Even after all they've been through, those simple words made him feel special, even if he knew she didn't feel that way anymore. He still couldn't help falling back in love with her, or at least the idea of her as the young girl she used to be.

Sitting there, looking through all the things that symbolized his rocky relationship with Jacky, made Hyde think about the choices he had made since Chicago. Jackie, thought he had exceeded expectations, but after losing her he had fallen back to his old ways and was now living in a basement married to a stripper. He could only imagine that Jackie would be just as disappointed in him as he was in himself.

He had married the wrong person, there was no doubt about that. He should have been married to the small, bossy cheerleader and while he couldn't think of a good reason why he hadn't proposed to her when she wanted him to, he couldn't help but feel sorry for his current wife. Here she was, miles away from her home with people who looked down on her and a husband who was in love with someone else. He knew it wasn't fair to stay married to Sam out of pitty, for either of them, so he needed to think of a way to tell her that he wanted out.

**-End of flashback-**

The door of Hyde's hospital room opened and Fez walked in eating a chocolate bar.

"Hyde! Oh you look awful my friend."

Hyde frowned slightly, he didn't feel awful, how bad could he actually look?

"Fez, I'm fine man"

"Yes but you do not look fine. Anyways, Fez brought you a chocolate bar, but Fez ate half of it on the way here" said Fez as he held out the half-eating candy.

"Um..no it's alright man, you can have it. And why are you speaking in the third person?"

"Third person? There's only two of us in here. Hyde, you must have hit your head pretty hard buddy."

"No you idiot, why are you calling yourself Fez?"

"Oh I see. Do you not like it? Laurie likes it. When we do it she tells me to say Fez because it is foxy."

"Fez man, too much information."

"I apologize. It just feels good to do it"

"Right."

"Oh, Mrs. Kitty said to tell you that W.B called and he'll be here tomorrow."

"I have to stay here until tomorrow! What the hell man/"

"How can you not like it here? You have nurses in sexy uniforms giving you sponge baths and feeding you jello. This is like heaven."

"Fez, that doesn't happen in real life, that's only on t.v"

"It does too happen, maybe you just do not have the Fez charm."

"The Fez charm?"

"Yes, it has all the women going crazy and taking their tops off."

"Okay, I think you might have been the one who hit his head."

"Oh you make fun, but who is the one getting his needs met everyday? Me!"

"Fez, no offense man but I don't want to hear about what you and Laurie do."

"Actually Hyde...it's not with Laurie."

"Uh..what do you mean not with Laurie?"

"I mean..I met someone else."

"You're cheating on your wife man!"

"Hyde, Laurie does not love me. I am the only one who thought she did. She is never home and men call all the time. I'm going to get a divorce."

"Oh man, that sucks."

"Yes. I thought we would be alright, but when you're wife is whory it does not work."

"Well Fez, at least you gave it a try man. And you already have someone so I guess you'll be ok little buddy."

"Thank you Hyde."

"Yeah, whatever man."

"Well, Fez should go see his new lady love now. Maybe she will give me some afternoon nookie"

"Fez, just go man."

"Good bye my friend."

Hyde nodded his good bye and within seconds was alone again. He started trying to digest what Fez had just told him about having met someone new. It wasn't that he felt bad for Laurie, because she had never been his favorite person and frankly he was not expecting their marriage to last. He was sure no one else thought they'd make it either. For some reason though, the news bothered him and he knew it had to do with the fact that it was yet another change he was going to have to adjust to, and Hyde was just sick of changes. It was time for him to find a constant, because he did not know how much more adjusting he could do.


	10. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hi everyone! Just wanted to wish you guys a very happy new years, hope it started right for all of us! **

It was the day after her conversation with Steven over the phone and Jackie sat in her office, still unsure about what to make of it. The entire conversation, from beginning to end, had gone incredibly smooth, something she was definitely not expecting. Never in her wildest dream would she think that Steven would be the one to make the first move to get in touch with her. And even crazier is the fact that there seemed to be no resentment, on either side. Well no...on his side, because truthfully there was still some resentment on her side. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she did resent Hyde.

She had been the one who saw another woman take her place. She was the one who lost her best friend to the same woman. She was the one who, within weeks, lost everything and everyone that had meant anything to her. She was the one who had to pack up her life and move across the country just because the shame would not allow her be seen in public. No matter how much she tried to put up a front and show others how strong she was, she would go home every night and pretty much cry herself to sleep. Seeing how easily she was pushed aside by her so called friends, her "family," she knew she was on her own, just as she had been since she was a child and her parents were not around to care for her.

She remembered one afternoon when she spoke to Donna about her feelings of being cast aside and all her "best friend" said was that she was not trying hard enough. Not trying hard enough? She went to the basement everyday, knowing damn well that the one man she had truly loved would be all over some blonde stripper he barely even knew. She went to the basement knowing that everyone would be caught up in their own problems, Donna worrying about Eric in Africa or Randy, Kelso trying to figure out where he would work, and Fez trying to figure out which old lady he would sleep with that night. She wasn't looking for attention, she just wanted some reassurance that her friends still cared about her, but she never got that.

The more she went, the harder it became to hold on the hope that things would stay the same.

Things had gotten so bad that she even convinced herself that she wanted Fez, that they were meant to be together. God how dilusional she must have been to think they were meant to be anything other than friends. I mean, this was Fez! How many years had she spent saying that foreigners and Burkharts just did not mix? How many times had she turned down his advances at her? Far too many to count, and yet there she was, chasing him.  
Looking back at it, she couldn't describe it any other way but that she was completely lost and miserable. Not only did Jackie Burkhart not _chase _men, she didn't chase _foreign _ones.

After a few weeks, she had came to her senses and realized that she needed to get the hell out of Point Place before she really went insane. After breaking up with Fez, and a very unpleasant encounter with Steven Hyde in the basement, she gained the courage to pack up her belongings and head to California. With a little bit of money she had saved up, and a few more that the Forman's had given her for the journey, she was ready for a new life, a new Jackie Burkhart.

The phone in her office rang all of a sudden, taking her out of her trance.

"This is Jackie Burkhart" she answered.

"Hi, Jackie it's Jason."

"Oh, hi how are you?"

"I'm fine. I was wondering if you wanted to meet up for lunch later on."

"Yes, of course that sounds good. What time do you have in mind?" Jackie asked**.**

"I have a class at one and should be done before 2: 45 so, I'll say three. Does that work for you?"  
"Yeah, three is fine, there's not much to do around here today anyways."

"Alright perfect. I'll call you as soon as I get out of class. Do you want to meet at the little diner by campus?"  
"The one with the outdoor sitting?"  
"Yeah that one."

"Okay, I'll meet you there."  
"See you soon, bye."  
"Good bye" Jackie said and hung up the phone.

Jason was someone Jackie felt comfortable with. She was surprised that they had in fact remained friends after their break up for she had never managed to stay good friends with her exes. Perhaps Michael Kelso was an exception, but she had not spoken to him in quite some time so she didn't know if she could actually refer to him as one. She was glad things were different with Jason though. Not only had they had a good relationship, but she also owed him a lot. He helped her get on her feet in California, and had it not been for him she would still probably been serving tables at some hole in the wall restaurant.

Since she still had a few hours before she had to meet up with Jason, Jackie tried to keep herself busy with whatever work she could find.


	11. AN2

**A/N: New chapter will be up tomorrow. I'm finishing it up and editing it tonight. I'm so sorry for the long wait, I was going through some personal issues and am now back in school but this one is long enough so it hopefully makes up for the long delay. **

****

-Liz


	12. Chapter 9

**In the Forman's living room:**

Fez was sitting on the couch watching reruns of Laverne and Shirley when all of a sudden his wife, Laurie, comes strolling in through the front door. She seemed shocked for a moment to see her husband but then continued her way to the kitchen without so much as a hello. Fez, feeling disrespected followed her through the swinging doors and braced himself for the argument that was sure to follow.

"Laurie, I have been calling the house since yesterday."

"Well, I obviously couldn't answer it since I'm here and not in Kenosha."

"I thought you had to work and couldn't come down here. That is why you did not come with me."

"Yeah well, my friend Carlos called and I was able to take a few days off. Told them it was a family emergency."

"Oh your "_friend_" huh?"

"Yes, friend."

"Oh cut the crap Jezebel, we both know you're whoring around on me."

"Fez, I'm shocked you would accuse me of something like that" said Laurie in her sweet, sarcastic voice.

"Yeah, yeah I'm sure you are."

"Look Fez, I'm just having a little fun for the first time in a while. All you ever do now is work, come home and sleep."

"Oh well I can just not work and then we could get kicked out of the apartment unless we whore you around which I'm sure you wouldn't mind doing anyways."

"Oh really, well...well...you're stupid!"

"Ooh good comeback, who are you Eric?"

Fez sighed as his wife stood speechless at his insult. True he had taken it a bit far but this was Laurie and right now their marriage was less than perfect..Hell it was down right awful.

"Look Laurie, I just want to be honest with you. I..I think we should get a divorce."

"What!" Laurie asked stunned. "Fezzie, we can work this out."

"No...I met someone else."

"You've been cheating on me?"

"Oh come on. Don't act all innocent. We both know exactly what you're doing down here."

"Okay fine, but do we really have to get a divorce? We can have an open marriage and still have the perks" said Laurie with a suggestive smirk.

"Oh Laurie..no."

"It was worth a shot...Fez...It was fun while it lasted right?

Fez thought about his marriage to Laurie and though it hadn't lasted very long, they did have a few good memories together.

"It was" he answered. Giving Laurie one last hug, Fez let go of his old life and was more than ready to start a new one with someone he was sure would make him happy.

**Flashback:**

"Hey Kelso man, what's up?" asked Hyde

It was just another day in the basement in the middle of July. Frankly it was way too hot to be out doing anything. Hyde had been sitting in his usual seat by the mini fridge whiile Eric and Donna cuddled up in the couch, much to his disgust. The whole idea of being tied down to a single person downright confused him. What was so great about monogomy anyways? Everyone was always preaching about love. Love one another, love thy neighbor...well damn it, let everyone love each other without making a big deal out of being with more than one person.

"Nothing, just trying to hide from Jackie. She's really mad at me man."

Kelso had been dating Jackie for just over a year and every week they had some sort of argument. After their first five months together, Kelso had gone out and cheated on her with his lab partner and had made it a constant habit to sleep with other girls ever since.

Hyde was sure Jackie knew about it. She had to know. In a small town like Point Place, everyone knew everything about everybody and it wasn't likely that the most popular girl in school, who was also a member of one of the richest families, did not know that her boyfriend was sleeping around.What Hyde didn't understand was why, if she knew, she chose to stay with Kelso.

There was always the rational (according to Hyde) conclusion that love made people stupid and that is why he swore to never fall in love.

"What did you do now?" asked Donna.

Love in general seemed like a terrible idea to Hyde. You had to put so much effort to make someone else happy and could never be entirely sure that the same amount of effort could be returned. Love made people give away all of their power and makes them want to sacrifice everything for one person..out of millions of people in the world. The chances of finding love, especially in a shithole town like Point Place, were slimmer than the chances of there actually being a God.

The only relationship Hyde had seen where love actually exists is the Forman's. After years together, they seemed happy. Eric and Donna seemed well on their way there, but they were too young, in Hyde's opinion, to claim to know what that meant. The Formans were the exeption, and there can't be two exeptions, and if there was, Hyde figured it would be Eric and Donna. A third exception would just discredit any logic, and Hyde was one for logic.

Snapping out of his thoughts, he realized he had missed Kelso's explanation as to why Jackie was mad this time...not that he actually cared.

**-End of flashback-**

**Point Place Hospital**

Steven Hyde was awoken by the blinding light that came from the hospital windows which were no longer covered by the ugly green curtains. Once his eyes adjusted to the light, he looked up at the clock mounted on the wall opposite his bed- 8:52am. Hyde was not someone who woke up before noon and couldn't even remember the last time he saw the hour hand on anything before 11.

"Good morning Steven."

Hyde saw a very cheery Kitty Forman in her nurse's uniform and what he hoped were more drugs because he had a aplitting headache.

"Time to get up sleepy head. It's a beautiful day and just because you're here doesn't mean you can't enjoy it."

Hyde was never able to understand how she could be so happy, especially so early in the morning. He appreciated it though seeing as how the only way his mother was cheery was after drinking a bottle of booze and sleeping with "uncle" whoever.

"Mrs. Forman, how much longer do I have to stay here?" he asked.

"Oh, hopefully not much longer. The doctors just need to see that you're stable and then they'll let you leave."

He sighed in response. He couldn't believe he was actually missing the dirty little room in the basement. Guess he must have hit his head or something in the accident.

"Oh don't worry sweetie, I'll make sure all the girls here treat you extra nice so you'll enjoy it a little more."

"I doubt that will help, but thanks anyways Mrs. Forman."

Kitty frowned a bit. For most of Steven Hyde's life she had considered him one of her own, even when his mother was around, which wasn't often. Now, he was in a hospital and she couldn't help but feel bad for him. He had already been through so much throughout his life and the poor boy couldn't seem to catch a break.

"Steven, can I ask you a question?" she began.

Hyde looked up, curious to know what she woul ask him. Kitty Forman rarely ashed if she could ask a question, she would always just ask. He nodded.

"What happened the day of the accident?"

"Mrs Forman, I told you I got distracted for a few seconds and drove into the other car."

"No, Steven I know that I mean why did you leave the house so upset?"

"It was nothing Mrs. Forman, it wasn't important."

"Oh Steven, you've turned into this guy who's proved so many people wrong and yet you're still hiding."

"Hiding? What does that mean?"

"Sweetie, you still have this wall up and it's preventing you from being happy. I was hoping you'd realize that by now."

She was beginning to sound like someone else he knew.

"Mrs. Forman, I don't have a wall up, this is just the way I am."

"Okay, I just hope who you are can look back on his life one day and be proud of the decisions you've made."

"Mrs. Forman, where's this coming from?"

"I see you as my son and I am proud of the many things you've accomplished. You've really turned into an extraordinary young man, but I look at some of the choices you've made and can't help but think that you're not very happy,"

God, he hated talking about feelings but especially when it was with Mrs. Forman because she was so emotional, and sure enough there were a few tears being blinked back and it just made the situation much more uncomfortable.

"I'm not unhappy Mrs. Forman/"

The woman he considered his mother stood at the end of his hospital bed shaking her head sadly.

"If that's good enough for you Steven, then there's nothing more I can say, but you should not settle because you deserve more than what you have."

With those final words, she walked out of the room (taking the medicine with her).

Hyde fell back on the uncomfortable hospital bed and did something he hated doing, overthinking the conversation he'd just have.

**In California-**

Jackie was on her way to meet Jason for lunch. She had spent the last few hours trying, and failing, to get some work done. Her mind just kept drifting back to her ex boyfriend who was in some hospital bed hundreds of miles away. There was something about Steven Hyde that made Jackie both mad and happy at the same time and she couldn't explain it, though it probably had to do with the fact that he was responsible for the happiest and worst parts of her life.

He single-handedly made her feel on top of the world and the brought her back down to a world full of abandonment and disappointment without so much as a warning.

It used to surprise her that he was able to surpass any of her expectations in the first place. When they had first gotten together, all her friends warned her of his womanizing way, a different girl every day and meaningless sex followed by nights of drinking and smoking. His characteristics far off from her idea of what prince charming was supposed to be like.

Though perhaps that was what attracted her to him. It was the age old story of girl going after the rebel bad boy in hopes of being the one to tame him. It seemed to be working for a while, but somewhere between moron ex boyfriends and raunchy blonde strippers, she failed to succeed. Had it not been for these, she was sure she would have been able to tame the lion, Hyde comma Steven.

Finally arriving at the little café, she parked her car and headed inside to meet Jason.

Inside, she heard a song she had grown to know all too well: Zeppelin's "All of My Love" played on the small jukebox in a corner of the room barely loud enough to he heard. Jackie, however, couldn't ignore the lyrics and melody filling the room.

_Yours is the cloth, mine is the hand that sews time  
his is the force that lies within  
Ours is the fire, all the warmth we can find  
He is a feather in the wind  
All of my love,  
all of my love,  
all of my love to you now_

Deciding to try and push any memories that arose of her old life, she quickly scanned the room and spotted Jason sitting on a chair stool by the counter dressed in what he liked to call "casual prep." It didn't take very long for him to spot her and wave almost maniacally. She couldn't help but laugh and made her way towards him.

"Hi love, how are you?" he asked while gently kissing her cheek.

His cologne filled Jackie's nostrils as they embraced and it made her forget all about the song that was coming to an end in the background. For a split second, her two world's coexisted this tiny space.

"I'm really good, happy to see you. It's been a while."

They continued to chat as they took their seats and for the next half hour or so, Jackie forgot about ex-boyfriends and Led Zeppelin songs and just enjoyed the company of a friend, something she truly had grown to miss.

**Point Place- The Forman's Kitche:**

"You're getting divorced? It hasn't even been a year" said Eric sounding surprised.

"Did you really expect it to last longer?"

"Well..no but...yeah you're right. I'm not sure why I'm shocked."

"Exactly.'

"Hyde was right man, nothing's the same anymore."

"Did you realize that now? No wonder you did so bad in the S."

"Fez man that was years ago, and I did better on the second one."

"Yeah, yeah. You idiot."

Fez then left the kitchen leaving Eric alone. There he started thinking about how he had failed to realize just how different things had actually become. Everyone hardly came around anymore, they were all scattered across the country and hardly spoke to one another. It was as though they were strangers to each other, as though they were existing in six different realms of time.

He thought to when the thought of losing one person was actually not even a thought. At one point in time, the basement gang was indestructable and all they needed was each other...but even Superman had a weakness so they shouldn't have been too shocked..right? 

**Flashback-**

_Eric: Hey. So I went to see Jake Bradley. _

_Hyde: You mean Jake Bradley!_

_Eric: Yes. See if he wanted to hang out, and you know what Mr. Cool Guy was doin'? He was hangin' out in his basement with his friends. And they were watching … the Six Million Dollar Man. It was eerie._

_Hyde: Was there a skinny guy datin' this really hot chick who's way out of his league?_

_Eric: You know, there was._

_Kelso: Wait. Does this mean we're not gettin' a fat kid to play with?_

_Eric: No, man, we don't need anyone else. You know what? We've only got two months until graduation. We can't waste a second of that._

**-****End of Flashback-**

"Hey Eric, Mr. Forman said that he needed help painting the- are you okay?" asked Donna who entered through the sliding door to find her fiance looking slightly upset.

"Hey Donna, when did life go to hell?"

"Excuse me?" she asked thinking this had something to do with their relationship.

"I mean, what happened to all of us? How did we manage to grow apart the way we did?"

"I...don't know Eric. I wish I did."

"Do you miss it?"

"Do I miss it? You mean do I miss laughing with the five people I care most for? Do I miss having a second family I can tell anything to? Do I miss being as happy as before? Do you miss it?" she asked having answered her own question.

Eric simply nodded and both sat down by the counter trying to figure out when it was that they had all lost their happy.


	13. Chapter 10

**A/N: Sorry for such a long hiatus, school has taken a toll on me lately and I'm finally getting it together. This new chapter starts as a continuation of the last chapter.**

_The next afternoon:_

"Okay mister Hyde, everything seems to be good according to your chart," starts the doctor looking over the chart hanging by Hyde's bed, "you can leave today if you want to" he continued, looking up at Hyde afterwards.

"Are you kidding me doc? Where do I sign to get out of here?" replied Hyde.

The doctor chuckled and nodded his head. "I'll have a nurse bring you a release form. Meanwhile, I'll fill out this prescription for some painkillers in case you need them." The doctor, seeing Hyde's overeagered face at the mention of drugs quickly added, "_only _take them if you experience any pain. Besides, they are not very strong so you won't get any "satisfaction" out of it."

Hyde frowned as the doctor exited the room. "So much for finding an upside to this crap."

Hyde glanced around the hospital room and realized how badly he missed the basement. It had been three days since his accident and it felt like it had been an eternity. He was ready to get back to the smoky gray room, watch crappy shows with his friends and have meaningless conversations about where they should go that night or whether Samantha was hotter than Jeannie.

However, he realized that everything he was hoping for had long been gone. They hadn't done any of that in close to a year. The last time he remembered everyone sitting around together was back in January. They all sat around, he in his usual spot by the deep freeze, Kelso on the beach chair, Eric and Donna next to each other on the couch and Fez next to them while Jackie sat on his lap. That last part had seemed so foreign to him...Jackie sitting on Fez's lap was not something he would have ever bet on, yet there she was, looking as comfortable as she had a mere months ago when she was sitting on _his _lap.

He couldn't remember what they had talked about, but they did laugh a lot as they had for years.

A few weeks later Eric and Donna headed up to Madison and Kelso announced he had gotten a call from Vic from the Playboy Club in Chicago and had gotten his job back so he would be moving there soon.

Hyde had hated the thought of the three of them leaving, not just because it would throw off the group's dynamic, but because he would be stuck hanging out with Jackie and Fez, and what is weirder than hanging around with a bitchy ex-girlfriend whom he couldn't commit to and a pervy, candy loving foreigner who was now"screwing her brains out?" as Fez often said (though Hyde doubted this was true).

He soon found out however, that he didn't need to worry about hanging out with them because they rarely came around after Eric, Donna and Kelso left. Well, Fez came to see him when he wasn't with Jackie, but that was rarely the case so Hyde found himself spending more and more time alone in the dingy basement.

That's where his anxiety with consistency started. The solitude and silence drove him damn near insane (which surprised the hell out of him because that's all he had ever wanted when the others were around.) It got so bad that he found himself trying to find more work to do around the record store to avoid going home, and when Steven Hyde chooses working for the man over drinking, smoking and sleeping, you know the situation is bad.

On his days off he would try to spend as much time as possible in bed so the days went by faster and when it was time to get up, he turned on the record player as high as it could go, Zeppelin blasting in every corner of the room. The Formans were the only people keeping him going since they tried to get him out of the misery his life had become.

Breaking out of his trance, Hyde looked over to the phone by the bedside table and decided to give Jackie a call. He didn't know where the impulse came from, but it somehow felt like he had to call. He had not called her since his first night there. He attemped several times but always lost his nerve. This time he was determined to wait for an answer. He walked over to the receiver and dialed the number written in the paper Eric had left.

As it began to ring, he took a deep, nervous breath and waited. It rang about five times before he heard a click followed by a "hello?"

It did not come from Jackie though, but from a man he obviously did not know. His heart started to beat faster than it ever had. "Um..hello, is Jackie there?" he asked hoping he had dialed the wrong number.

"Yeah, may I ask who's speaking?"

"Uh, Steven Hyde."

"Oh..hold on" the man replied and Hyde heard him calling Jackie over in the background.

It took a few seconds for her to get to the phone and when he heard her say "Steven?" his heart started to slow down a bit.

"Yeah, hi" he answered awkwardly. '_Real smooth' _he thought, mentally kicking himself, '_what happened to zen man?'_

"Hi, is everything okay?" she asked sounding concerned.

"Yeah, everything is fine. Just wanted to tell you that I leave the hospital today."

"Oh that's great Stevem!" She sad excitedly which made him feel good.

"I know. I couldn't last another day here. I was about to die."

She laughed. "Well then you would have been in the right place."

Now it was his turn to laugh. Of course Jackie found a way to turn his words on him.

"I just wanted to let you know and I guess I'll call you some other time since you seem to have company."

"Okay, sure. Thank you for calling to let me know...I appreciate it." she said with sicerety.

"No problem. Bye Jackie."

"Good bye Steven."

As he hung up the phone, Hyde had a mix of emotions all at once. He was happy he had spoken to her and happy to see her excitement over his well-being. He was also upset that she was home with some guy whom he didn't know, granted he could just be a friend, but could also be something more. The strongest emotion he was feeling was confusion. He was confused that he cared that she was with someone, why did he care?

He hadn't thought about Jackie as anything but a part of his past and ever since he had gotten into an accident, he kept thinking about her and wanting to talk to her, almost as though he wanted her to be part of his life again.

_'It could be different this time' _he thought to himself for a split second but then he thought of all the times that exact thought had crossed his mind ever since they had started their on-again off-again relationship over two years ago. He thought this after the "get off my boyfriend" incident, after he cheated on her with a nurse, after she couldn't decide between him and Kelso that summer. He even thought they could work it out after she had ran off to Chicago with Kelso and he was ready to work on their relationship when he got back two weeks later, but that plan was quickly ruined when Samantha walked through the door. That's when he knew they would just have to count their losses and move on, because there was no way their relationship would be able to survive that.

As he sat on his tiny hospital bed he started thinking about his relationship with Jackie. This was the first time he really just wanted to figure out what went wrong with them. Sure they were very different from the start and were both stubborn. There was also the lack of trust that was there from the beginning because, no matter how much he denied it, he never really trusted Jackie. He didn't have a reason for not trusting her, other than seeing how much Kelso flirted with her and thinking she could go back to him at any given moment.

Not trusting her killed him every day they were together because he saw how much trust she put in him when she had no reason to. He had gone off and slept with a nurse to hurt her, hooked up with some biker chick to make a point (and hurt her) and he kept Sam around because he knew it would hurt her. So much of what he did during their relationship was deliberately done to cause her pain because he wanted to get back at her for something that, at the time, seemed so critical, but in hindsight was nothing more than her having to get herself together. Comforting Kelso, not choosing between him and Kelso right away, going to Chicago..even getting with Fez were her way of keeping her sanity and he punished her for it.

All this time he has spent blaming her for their downfall and ultimately his misery, but not once did he acknowledge that most of what happened were because of his actions and decisions.

Sitting there, Steven Hyde concluded that he is the reason his life has no consistency, because he pushed away the only constant he ever had.


	14. Chapter 11

As Hyde was signing his hospital release forms, Red Forman walked into the room to pick him up and take him home.

"Hurry up Archie, I don't have all day to spend in this crap-hole" Red stated.

It always amused Hyde how blunt (and slightly scary) Red. Ever since the day Hyde walked Eric home to protect him from bullies, he remembered Red Forman being a hard ass. He might be the only person that truly scared Hyde, and that was saying something coming from a kid with his upbringing.

"I'm almost done" Hyde responded.

Red walked over towards Hyde and took a quick look at the forms he was filling out. "You know, every time I see one of these, there's more questions than before. Nosy sons-of-bitches."

Hyde nodded and, wanting to push Red's buttons a little added, "well they are in America, isnlt everyone a nosy sonofabitch?"

"Watch it hop head," answered Red, "if you don't like it you can go live with those damn commies or the pansy ass Canadias. Is that what you want?"

Hyde smirked. It was too easy to make Red upset, just talk about how much you disliked the American government and he would tell you off. "No sir, I don't" he replied, to which Red just shook his head.

"You kids nowadays don't know how good you have it. When I was your age I was in Korea fighting for this country and was damn proud to do so. Now everything is party all night, sleep all day and drugs and sex. Had I know this is what I was fighting for, I would've let a commie shoot me."

"Okay Mr. Hyde, if you're done with the forms I'll take them and you can go" a nurse interrupted. Hyde signed the form and handed her the clipboard. As soon as she exited the room, Hyde gathered his belongings.

"Well Red," he continued. "I would love to keep talking about commies but how about we do it on the way home?"

Red rolled his eyes at Hyde and exited the room with a grunt with Hyde following behind with a smirk.

**California:**

"So Hyde huh?" asked Jason.

Jackie was in her kitchen warming up some food for herself and Jason."Uh huh" she responded.

"What did he want?" he continued.

"Huh?" Jackie was barely paying attention. Between trying not to burn the food and going over her conversation with Hyde, she couldn't focus on much. "Oh, nothing. Just called to say he's getting out of the hospital today."

As soon as Hyde told her, she got a sense of relief which surprised her because she hadn't realized how much it affected her.

"Jackie, as your friend, I'm asking you to be careful."

Jackie turned away from the stove at his comment. "Careful about what Jason?"

"Him. Be careful about Hyde."

"Why would I need to be careful about Steven?"

"Because of what he did to you in the past. You're letting him come back into your life so easily. It's almost as if you're forgetting everything he put you through."

Jackie now completely stepped away from the stove and moved closer to Jason."

"Look, I appreciate you trying to be a good friend and looking out for me, but you don't have to worry because I will never forget how much Staven hurt me. And as far as me letting him into my life, I'm not. We're hundreds of miles away and yeah I talk to him on the phone, but it's only because he was in an accident, and as someone who used to love him, I was concerned. But that's it. I'm not looking to get back together with the man."

"I know Jackie, but guys like him have a way of inching back into people's lives."

"Jason, I get what you're saying and I appreciate it, I really do, but I don't want to talk to you about Steven. You don't know him or what happened througout our relationship, so let's just drop it, okay?"

"Fine Jackie, but just know that if something happens, I'm here for you...promise not to say 'I told you so.'"

At this point Jason had obviously decided to just leave because he was putting on his suit jacket and Jackie could not have been happier to be left alone.

"Fine Jason."

A few minutes later he was gone and Jackie was plopped down on her couch running the conversation back in her head. She understoon why Jason was concerned (and given the way she felt when talking to Hyde she should be concerned also) but something triggered some protective emotion over Hyde that she was all to familiar with. Since before they had started dating many years prior, Jackie had been protective of Hyde. She hated when people said bad things about him, even though she used to be one of them, and she always found herself sticking up for him, even when she knew she shouldn't

Here she was, so many years later and so many miles away from "home," having had to start her entire life over because he managed to destroy her without any apologies, still defending him. Even after everything they had gone through, she was still making excuses for him and trying to make him seem like a decent person, and she couldn't understand why.

All of a sudden her fire alarm went up and she jumped off the couch and rushed to the kitchen.

"Crap" she said out loud. She turned the stove off...the food was burned.

**Point Place:**

Red Forman and Steven Hyde were en route to the Forman's house. The whole ride had been, thus far, silent. Neither men were very talkative, a characteristic that worked for one and had hindered the other.

"Hey Red, I've been thinking" Hyde started to break the silence.

"Oh great, let's hear this" Red said sarcastically.

"I thought I would convince W.B. To open up a store in California."

"California huh?"

"Yeah, it's a good music market, there's a lot of music happening down there. I think a store there would do well."

"Well sure. He can get someone over there to run it."

"Actually, I was thinking I could go manage it."

"You? Go to California?"

"Yes. I've been thinking I need a change of scenery. I mean, no offense man, but Point Place is pretty dead. There's not much more I can do with the store here."

"Steven, this would have nothing to do with the Burkhart girl would it?"

"What! Jackie...no...no way man! I'm not even thinking about her."

"Uh huh" Red responded, clearly not believing a word Hyde said.

"I'm not!" Hyde insisted.

"If you say so...Oh and good luck telling Kitty, I'm sure she'll be thrilled the last one of you is leaving."

Hyde nodded, he had already figured out how he was going to tell Mrs. Forman, all he needed to do was figure out a way to get his car back soon enough to get to California where, hopefully, he could get back some consistency in his life.


	15. Chapter 12

**California**-

After throwing away the burnt food, Jackie sits on her 2-seat dining room table getting more frustrated about the conversation she just finished having with Jason. Did people really think she was this stupid? I mean why the hell would she give Hyde another chance? Not only had he cheated on her and married some whore, but throughout their entire relationship he failed to trust her. In hindsight, Jackie didn't understand how she even stayed with someone who couldn't believe anything she said. She was like the boy who cried wolf...except she never had.

It amazed her how many problems she recognized in her relationship with Hyde. The only problem was that she realized them too late. She was a smart girl, she should have noticed all the red flags from the very beginning and save herself the heartache and pain that followed. Whoever said love is blind was not kidding; that person probably dated Steven Hyde too.

The thought that kept recurring through her mind that bothered her the most was how she had done the same thing her mother had. Maybe she hadn't stayed for money like her mom, but she stayed in a destructive relationship for years, and for what? To be tossed aside like garbage or a pair of last season shoes?

that insecure little girl couldn't understand how she could be so indispensable that a man who slept in a closet size rooms with nothing but a few records and a pair of sunglasses could get rid of her as if it didn't mean anything. Though perhaps it never did.

It's not like Hyde was known for his long term relationships. She had met him as the town womanizer. The young man who fucked them and left them without so much as an explanation or reason.

The thing with Jackie was that she was a Burkhart. That Burkhart pride solidified her idea that she could do any damn thing she wanted by just batting an eyelash. Her philosophy of life growing up wasn't "my way or the highway" but simply "my way." There was no other option, she got what she wanted, and what she wanted was Steven Hyde.

He would be the man of her dreams, as soon as she reformed him to her liking of course. He would replace beer with wine, pot with imported Cuban cigars, and he would give her expensive jewels and flowers instead of foil-wrapped burgers. He would become the man of every girl's dream and she would go down in the books as the legendary Jackie Burkhart, the girl who tamed the beast.

In hindsight, Jackie should have known you can't change anyone. She had tried to do the same thing with Michael. She constantly sought out ways to keep him from cheating. She read Cosmo, she basically threatened every girl in Point Place (which cost her a few friends and earned her a few enemies). Hell she had even written "Don't date Kelso" on the "Welcome To Point Place" sign just in case some new girl visited the town. In the end, all her efforts were in vain since his cheating progressively got worse and ultimately led to their demise.

In the end of it all, when she had to restart her life over in California, Jackie came to the realization that she was the one who needed to change. She needed to lower her expectations for people and understand that a princess didn't fit in a cynical world. Wasn't that what had gotten Snow White poisoned in the first place? She was just too damn happy and perfect so just needed to go. And just like Snow White, Jackie had to start her life over in a brand new place. The only difference was that Jackie wasn't surrounded by cute rabbits, birds and squirrels. Instead, she was in a world of hippies, stoners and tanned beach trash. She also stopped believing in Prince Charming a long time ago. Broken hearts turned one into a cynic afterall.

The one thing that bothered Jackie the most was that, no matter how much she told herself that she hated him and no matter how many times she went over all the things he did to her, a part of her remembered only the good times they had together. Her most vivid memories of Hyde had nothing to do with cheating or his marriage. She didn't think about the arguments or the lack of trust...all she ever thought about were the good times they had throughout their relationship.

One memory that always played back in her mind was right after the first time they had made love. It had been a really hot summer night and they had waited until everyone else went home. When they were finally alone they went into his small room in the basement and for the first time proved their love to one another.

What made that one time particularly special was what happened afterwards. As they both laid on his tiny cot, trying to regulate their breathing, Hyde placed a small kiss on her forehead and told her things she was sure he had never, nor would ever, tell anyone else. That was the night she realized he loved her. He did not even have to tell her, she just knew. What was best about that night was how much he trusted her. He trusted her enough to confess to her his inner demons and tell her about his life. That was one of the few times she remembered him trusting her. A few weeks later, when Kelso and Donna came back from California, Hyde would tell her less and less. She had thought that it was because there weren't many more secrets for him to tell her, but now she knew that his trust in her decreased over time. It was as if the more her and Kelso hung out together, the more Steven distrusted her.

How had it taken so long for her to figure out that Kelso frightened Hyde? The idea of Jackie going back to Michael like she had countless times in the past must have always been in Hyde's mind. She could easily blame his insecurities for breaking them apart, but she never reassured him that it wasn't a possibility. Even after she told him she loved him, she wasn't capable of choosing between Steve and Michael when the time came.

Looking back on it, she would have felt the same way had one of Steven's exes been around all the time and he couldn't make up his mind as to who he wanted to be with. All the games she played, the "I want what I want when I want it" moments definitely hindered their relationship, and she was clearly partly to blame for pushing him away.

Jackie sighed in frustration. Here she was again, making excuses for Hyde, just as Jason said. But she couldn't help it. Yes Hyde broke her heart, and yes she could never forgive him for some of the things he did to her, but she didn't place all the blame on him regarding their failed relationship. They had both played a part in each other's downfalls, but their egos would not let them admit it.

If perhaps she would have realized all of this before, she would have been able to save herself a lot of hurt and disappointment...she might have even been able to have a friendship with Steven Hyde.

**Point Place-**

Red and Hyde pulled into the garage and were met by a very eager Kitty Forman. As soon as Hyde opened the passenger seat, the older woman lunged herself at him and embraced him as tightly as she could. Finally, her baby was safely home and she could take care of him.

Red just rolled his eyes because he knew that with Steven back, his wife would baby him and he would never leave the house. Hell, with his luck, the other idiots would just come by and take over his house. It would be like 1978 all over again. Although, he did not exactly hate the idea of having the kids around again. Not that he was going to admit to anyone that he missed the boisterous bunch, but it sure beat the hell out of a silent house. Whenever Kitty worked a late shift, he would be home alone and the silence nearly drove him insane.

He would often think about his younger years, before he joined the Army. He and his friends would hang out in a nearby diner. He remembered the waitresses in roller skates and he always tried to convince his then girlfriend Eloise to get a job there because she would look good in the uniform. Not long afterwards she broke up with him and his father told him to join the military, and Red Forman knew better than to say no to his strict father. He met with a recruiter soon after and before he knew it, he was being sent off to war.

Red remembered everything happening so quickly. There he was, a young boy who had just gotten his heart broker, heading to fight a war thousands of miles away. It didn't make it any easier that he had started seeing a pretty young girl, Kitty Sigurdson, whom he was sure would help him forget about Eloise.

"Red...RED!" interrupted Kitty, "Help Steven with his things. I'm going to bake some chocolate peanut butter cookies for my poor baby."

Red rolled his eyes once more as Hyde shot him a "smartass" look. 'Here we go again' he thought as he picked up a bag from the Toyota and headed inside the kitchen.

**Over in Madison-**

Donna Pinciotti, soon to become Forman, was reading over an essay she had written for her "Women in History" class for about the fourth time that day. It was due the next day and she was not 100% happy with it. She chose to write about the feminists of the 20's and about how the Equal Rights Amendment would change the role of women for years to come.

She couldn't focus however, so she decided to reach over and dial the number of a good friend. Jackie Burtkhart was one of Donna's best friends..._is _one of Donna's best friends. Actually, she wasn't sure where her friendship with Jackie stood nowadays. They hadn't spoken in a while. Donna tried calling after Hyde's accident, but got so caught up with school and the one time she could talk on the phone, she called Eric who was in Point Place to ask how Hyde was doing.

She heard the click on the other side and then Jackie's voice.

"Hello?"

"Jackie hi. It's Donna."

"Oh hey Donna, how are you."

"Good, good., just reading my paper on feminism How are you? It's been a while."

"Yes, it definitely has. Ive been good, just busy with work you know."

"Yeah , I can imagine. Did you, uh, hear about Hyde?"

"Yes, Eric called."  
"Oh, okay good. I meant to call but, well I've been busy with school and all."

"Yeah don't worry, I understand."

"I was wondering if you were planning on going back to Point Place for Thanksgiving."

"Donna...that's almost two months away, and to be honest I don't think that's an option right now."

"Oh, but I'm sure the Formans would really appreciate you going there, we all will."

"This has nothing to do with the Formans, I'm sure you know that."

"Come on Jackie, you can't still be mad at Hydee for what happened. It's been almost a year."

"Wow, still taking Steven's side I see."

"What? What does that mean?"

"It means that you always sided with Steven, no matter what happened or how badly I was hurt, you never once stood up for me."

"Whoa, Jackie where is this coming from?"

"You think everything can just go back to normal now? You think that I will get over everything that happened to me just because all this time has passed? It doesn't work like that Donna."

"I didn't ask you to get back together with Hyde, all I asked was if you were going back to the Forman's."

"No. I'm not."

"Ugh Jackie this isn't fair for the rest of all. We're all a group and you're making it really hard for us to get things back to how they were."

"Who says that's what I want? I'm happy now Donna. I don't have a cheating boyfriend or a best friend who's never on my side."

"Never on your side? I was _always _on you side!"

"Oh really? When was that? When Michael left for California and you left with him, or maybe when Steven cheated on me with a nurse and you were so determined to get us back together so I would stop "quoting Nancy Drew" oh wait, perhaps it was the time that you befriended the whore he married. Face it Donna, you were never there for me, and I would _NEVER _do those things to you."

"You're overreacting Jackie. We weren't really friends during the Kelso thing, and you told me you still loved Hyde so I thought I was doing you a favor by getting you guys back together. Oh and as far as Samantha goes, I was just trying to be a good friend to Hyde."

"Yeah, that was always the problem Donna, you were always trying to be a good friend to everyone but me. You know what, I'm just going to go now, but I really hope your feminism paper is about women who don't choose men over their friends or put their lives on hold for one."

With that, Jackie hung up the phone leaving Donna stunned. Had she really been that bad?


	16. Chapter 13

**A/N: Hey guys! So I've been trying to upload more often since finals are coming up. So this will most likely be my last update until after the 17****th**** (which is when I take my last final). I hope you enjoy this new chapter even if it is a bit short. Once finals are done and I'm finished with this semester I'll start working on this story a lot more. See you all in a few weeks!**

Madison-

A few minutes had passed since Jackie ended their conversation and Donna still couldn't believe it had happened. There was no one Jackie was right. She admitted that their friendship was not what it once used to be, but it had nothing to do with her being a bad friend. It was never her goal to hurt Jackie, but she couldn't go around choosing sides between her friends for the sake of keeping the group together. That's the only reason she became friends with Sam. She was Hyde's wife and they couldn't all just treat her badly, otherwise Hyde would have been upset with them. And besides, she had know Hyde longer than she had known Jackie, so she definitely couldn't make him mad.

'Jesus' Donna thought. She did always pick Hyde's side, she had just done it again. Throughout their friendship, Donna had stuck up to Hyde when he couldn't do it himself, but this time it cost her a good friend.

She hadn't realized that she was being a bad friend to Jackie, she was just trying to be a good one to Hyde.

Donna picked up her paper once more and one sentence stuck out to her. It read: "The feminist movement, with its unique methods, would not have been successful had it not been for the unity and solidarity of the women (and men) involved." Donna realized in that moment that as far as Jackie was concerned, she preached this idea, but never actually put it to practice. This not only made her a bad friend, but a bad feminist as well...she had failed at the two things she had prided herself in being.  
**  
****Point Place-**

"What do you mean you're moving to California?" Kitty shrieked.

Hyde had just told her of his plan to manage a store in California, and as he suspected, she was hurt by the mere idea. She probably thought Hyde would stick around for a while after the accident. He couldn't blame her, for she always wanted someone to take care of and now that the rest of the gang had moved away, he was the only one close enough for her to care for.

"Mrs. Forman, I'm sorry but I can't stay here anymore."

"And why not?" she asked, "Red and I have been like parents to you, why do you want to move away from us?"

This was the part Hyde was dreading. He knew she would take it personal. The only reason he had even stayed as long as he has is because of them. Before the Forman's took him in he didn't have any family left. Hell, even when Edna was around he planned on leaving for New York just to get away from her. With the Formans though, the thought of leaving never even crossed his mind. When he moved into their house he had people who cared about him, people who actually loved him...a family.

There was no way he would be able to leave all of that behind. The problem was that four years later, he was still comfortable doing the exact same thing he was doing at 17, and it was time for a change. He could no longer sit around doing nothing while all his friends moved on with their lives. He refused to be the one in the gang who amounted to nothing. He refused to prove those who doubted him right. Steven Hyde needed to get out of Point Place and start his life.

"I don't want to leave you guys behind, but if I stay I'll just keep doing what I'm doing now, and I know I can do more than that."

Kitty sighed. She knew sooner or later the boy would get bored of the daily routine just as the others had. She had always wondered what had taken so long for him to realize it was time to grow up. However, in an effort to keep one of her babies around she didn't say anything.

"I can't do what I want to do here in Point Place Mrs. Forman, I hope you understand."

"I do understand Steven, but why California of all places?"

"It's a good place for a music store. All the major labels are there, a lot of people trying to get discovered. I could do a lot with a store there."

"It sounds like you have your mind made up then."

"I do."

"What if I bake you some chocolate peanut butter cookies?"

Hyde laughed at her persistence. "Sorry Mrs. Forman, as good as your cookies are, I'm still leaving."

"Oh alright then. When are you thinking of leaving?" she asked.

"Well I still have to talk to W.B. about it, but as soon as my car is fixed. Maybe two or three weeks."

"That's sooner than I thought."

"I know, but the sooner I get started the better."

Kitty sighed. She really hated what had become of her once crowded home. She tried for years to make her house the one all the kids wanted to be in. She cooked for them and showered them all with as much love as she did her own children (Eric more so than Laurie), but nonetheless, she had worked hard to be a mother figure to them all, yet there she was watching them leave one by one. Again, she knew the day would come. However, what upset her most was the way they had left. None of them were completely happy. They no longer had the friendship they once had with each other.

She remembered the day after Jackie left. Everyone sat in the basement as always, but no one said much. She went to give them a batch of cookies as a way to console them, but no one so much as looked at them. Well, Fez did because he simply couldn't resist anything sweet. She had don't anything possible to cheer them up, but to no avail. They just sat around for hours hardly talking.

That only lasted a few weeks because one by one, they had started moving on with their lives and moving away from Point Place until Hyde was the last one left. The Hyde that was left though was very different from the one she had grown to know for the last few years. This new Hyde was moody and wasn't as successful at hiding his emotions. The zen master had lost his zen.

"Steven, I know I'm not your mother but I want to make sure you're making the right decision. You tend to be..well, a bit impulsive. Deciding to move to California all of a sudden might just be a reaction to the accident."

Hyde shook his head. This was something he expected her to say for the sake of keeping him around, but he was convinced that this wasn't a reaction, it was much more than that. Something told him that California is where he needed to be, where he needed to go to find the one thing he was missing. He'd be damned if he wasn't going to go get her back...erm, _it_. He'd be damned if he didn't get _it _back. 


	17. Chapter 14

**A/N: I'm finally back and proud to say that my semester went well and I can now enjoy the summer. This also means that I have more time to dedicate to this story, so look out for more updates from me. I'm also working on a shorter story called "figured out" so check that one out also. Now, how about we get back to the story! Enjoy.  
**

_THREE WEEKS LATER_

Hyde was in his tiny room packing the last of his things. He quickly scanned at the suitcases and realized that he really did not have much to his name. Besides some t-shirts, pants and records, his entire life fit into one small bag. For the first time in a really long time he began to feel really pathetic. Here he was, a few weeks away from his 21st birthday and he had nothing to show but a record store that he was given. Realizing that he had managed to get by without doing any work would have been something his 17-year old self would have admired. Now, however, it made him feel like less of a man.

He saw Red Forman, a man he admired and somehow aspire to be like, and he acknowledged how hard he worked. From being in the Army, to PriceMart and now opening up his Muffler shop, Red Forman was someone who deserved a good life because he worked for it. Perhaps the reason Hyde's life was so crappy is because he didn't deserve one. He had never worked hard enough to deserve to relax and enjoy the benefits of his labor. That's why, thought Hyde, he would start over in California. He would put his everything into this new store so that when he was ready, the consistency his life lacked would be well-deserved.

As he folded a few more shirts, Donna entered his room. She walked over to the small, cluttered cot, and made some space to sit down.

"So, you're really leaving?"

"Yeah."

"I couldn't believe it when Eric told me. Had to come down here myself and see it with my own eyes."

Hyde just smirked and nodded his head. He thought back of the years he spent liking Donna, thinking that they were perfect for each other. He looked at her now and any thoughts of a relationship with her seemed silly. Donna belonged with Eric. He learned that the day they had all gone to Jackie's ski cabin and Donna smacked him hard across the face. That made him smile.

"Want to fill me in on the joke Archie?" joked Donna.

"You're a good friend Pinciotti."

Donna eyed him curiously, wondering where this was going. "Go on" she urged.

His smile grew wider. "Just thinking of the weekend up in Jackie's cabin all those years ago."

"When I smacked you?"

He nodded, and she laughed. "Seems funny right? Thinking of you and I as anything more than friends" he said.

"More like crazy. What made you think about that day?"

"Not sure. I guess...I guess now that I'm leaving everything behind, I started thinking about everything leading up to now."

"This sounds like a good bye speech coming up. Should I get you some tissues?"

Hyde rolled his eyes. His friends always knew how to ruin a nice moment, not that he cared because he wasn't one for sentimental crap, but for some reason he wanted to get a few things off his chest, and Donna seemed like the one person who would understand.

"I screwed up a lot in my life Donna."

"We've all screwed up Hyde, not just you."

"Just, let me finish okay?"

She nodded. This was unexpected to her. It had been such a long time since she and Hyde had a heart-to-heart. The last time she could recall having one was when Samantha first showed up and he tried to get Jackie to talk to him. She remembered how confused and distraught he had been throughout their conversation. That's when she saw that he really did love Jackie. It was also the last time he saw him show any determination towards anything.

"I keep thinking back at all the decisions I've made this last year, you know with Jackie and Sam, and I got pretty lost man. Just got caught up in all this crap that seems so unimportant now. I'm not just going to California to open up the store...I'm going to get Jackie back."

Donna looked taken aback. She knew Hyde would try and contact Jackie at some point, because those two always attracted each other in one way or another. However, she hadn't realized he was trying to get her back.

"Hyde...I don't think that's a good idea. You guys are probably in really different places right now and after everything you went through, I don't see it happening."

"Donna, be honest, when did you see it happening?"

"What do you mean?"

"Jackie and I worked...We fought and I cheated and there were times when we couldn't stand each other. No one saw what we had, not even you guys. I know it sounds crazy, but we were good together. I..She...She makes me happy."

"Not less pissed off?"

Hyde laughed a bit. He remembered how much he had gone out of his way to deny how happy Jackie made him. Maybe the reason so many people thought they wouldn't work out was because of him. He complained so much about how much she bugged him and how she wouldn't shut up about a wedding or unicorns or Donny Osmond. He pushed her away whenever she got too close or asked for a sign of affection. He didn't blame everyone for taking bets on when they would break up.

"It's been a rough year huh?" he asked.

"It has. I think we'll be okay though."

"Yeah...I think so too."

**California-**

Jackie had agreed to meet with Jason again. She had avoided him ever since their conversation in her apartment a few weeks before. She was not completely sure as to why she had refused to see him or take his calls. Something he said about her always defending Hyde bothered her. Even though deep down she knew it was true, hearing it from someone who did not know Steven or how their relationship worked really upset her. Jason was the one person she had in California. He wa salso the only person she knew who was not fully aware of her past relationship, especially the one that led her here.

Their last conversation was too reminiscent to the numerous ones she had back in Point Place with all the people who thought she was making a mistake defending a "good for nothing burnout." For the past few months, she had managed to separate her old life and her new life. Up until a few weeks ago, the two had not intersected and now, everywhere she seemed to go, she was taken back to her relationship with Hyde and the heartbreak that followed it.

Her doorbell rang and she slowly got up from her couch, took a deep breath and opened the door. Jason held out a bouquet of flowers, as what she could assume was a peace offering. Jackie sighed in relief. She had her friend back. They would be able to talk about things that did not relate to Steven and just go on with their lives as if nothing happened. Finally, the intersections that had clouded the last few weeks have now turned into a parralel path; both existant, but never meeting.

"Come in" she said, stepping aside to allow him to enter her apartment.

He entered slowly, glancing around the place as though it was his first time inside.

"I can't really stay for very long, I have a class in half hour. I really just came to apologize about the other day. I realized I might have stepped out of line and that it was none of my business to comment on you and Hyde."

Jackie looked at Jason, who was obviously being genuine and wondered how she could have been so upset with him when he was only trying to look after her. Had that not been what she had wanted Donna to do? Since her last break up with Steven, all she wanted was a friend who would try and protect her and stop her from making stupid decisions. Donna was not able to do that and that upset her, yet here she was upset at Jason for wanting to help.

"Don't apologize. I know you were being a good friend and I appreciate it. I just get a little sensitive when it comes to Steven because there was never closure in that part of my life."

"I understand. Let's just try and put it behind us, okay?"

She smiled, "yes."

"Okay good. Do you want to just sit for a few minutes before I go and have some wine. We still haven't cracked open the bottle I bought you a few weeks ago."

"Well well Mr. Lawrence, I'm not sure it's such a good idea to drink before your class" Jackie teased.

"Well Mrs. Burkhart, I can excuse having a glass with a good friend."

Jackie smiled and walked over to a cabinet to get two wine glasses and then proceeded to look for the wine Jason had given her. Now that she and Jason had made peace, she was comfortable again. It was a feeling she had come to associate with him lately. She wasn't sure if it was due to her ongoing dislike of being alone, or because he was the only person she could trust. Perhaps it was both, but for the short time she spent gathering up the wine and glasses, she pondered if maybe she and Jason should give their relationship another try. Sure they did not have many things in common, but doesn't the saying go "opposites attract?"

As she walked back to the couch, she continued her train of thought and, on a whim, said:  
"Hey, do you want to come over when you're done with class later? We could have like a date night, just watch a movie, finish up this bottle of wine, just the two of us."

He stared at her for a little bit before nodding his head yes and grabbing the glasses from her hand.

"Sounds good" he replied.

'That was simple' she thought. Jackie Burkhart had grown to like simple.

**Point Place-**

Hyde was finally done packing his few belongings and was now sitting in the Forman's kitchen table with Eric and Donna. All three tried to avoid talking about Hyde moving. He was sure Donna had already told Eric about about his plan to get Jackie back, but he sure as hell was not going to bring it up.

"So I kept telling Fez that I don't believe he has a new girlfriend and all of a sudden Kitty walks in and I'm sure she heard us because she called Pastor Dave and told him he needs to come in for an emergency meeting or whatever" said Donna.

Hyde had barely since Fez since the day he was in the hospital and had learned that Fez and Laurie were separating. No one had met his new "lady love" or heard much about her either. All they could hope for was that this time it would not be Crazy Caroline again. Apparently the Forman's had not been made aware of the news since now they were organizing some marriage intervention for the foreigner and his slutty wife, who also seemed to have vanished from the face of the Earth.

"Man, I told Fez not to marry her. I mean, no offense Forman, but your sister is skanky."

"Hyde, tell me something we don't already know. I think we all told Fez that. Hell, even mom warned him about her "promiscuity" but you know Fez, as long as he's getting some he won't listen."

Hyde and Donna just shook their heads as their way of agreeing.

"Fez never did make good decisions" exclaimed Hyde.

"So speaking of not making good decisions, the lady here tells me you are trying to woo a certain devil in California."

Hyde rolled his eyes at Eric's "formality." Forman always had a way of becoming more annoying throughout the years.

"Woo Forman?"

"Hey, I'm not the one trying to get my ex girlfriend back."

"That's because Donna's the only girl you've ever been with you dillhole."

"That's not true, I was with plenty of girls."

Now it was Donna's turn to be annoyed and pretty mad.

"Oh yeah?" she asked, "who else have you been with Eric?"

"I..uh..I didn't mean..I love you?" he said innocently.

"Get bent" she said while getting up. She smacked him in the back of the head and walked out through the sliding doors.

"You always fall for it Forman."

"Damn Hyde, now she won't let me touch her naughty parts."

"Forman, she's your fiance, I'm sure you're fine man."

"Whatever man, still not cool."

There was a slight silence between the two friends as they sipped on their pops. It seemed funny to Hyde that after all these years, he and Eric were still friends. He remembered the very first day they met, when he saved him from getting beat up by some bullies, he told him he would be his bodyguard for a quarter a day. Hyde wasn't looking for a friend at the time, he just wanted some money so he could buy himself some food since his mother always failed to feed him. Now he was considered part of the family and he was thankful to whatever higher being there might be for the Formans.

"So Jackie huh?" started Eric again.

"I'm not talking about it."

"Fine, I will. It's a bad idea man. A really bad idea. You just picking up and going halfway across the country chasing something you might not have a shot at anymore isn't smart. I mean, have you even told Jackie you're going? Hell do you even know where she lives?"

"She works in Hollywood Forman, so I'm going to go out on a limb and say she lives there."

Eric sighed, "just think about what you're about to do."

Then Eric got up and left the kitchen also leaving Hyde alone. It would probably be wise for him to think about his decision, but if he did, he would probably back down and stay in Point Place and conform to the crappy lifestyle he had settled for in the past year.


	18. Chapter 15

**California-**

Once Jason left Jackie started to wonder if what she had just done was a good idea. Jason was pretty much the only person she had in California and they had already tried to be in a relationship, and failed at it. Now here she was, trying to rebuild something that could possibly ruin their friendship simply because she was feeling lonely.

She was beginning to understand what Fez felt like all those years he complained about having needs.

'Crap' thought Jackie. That was the problem, she hadn't made love in such a long time she was becoming like Fez. It was funny to her just how much her life has changed thatnow she was comparing herself to her pervy ex-boyfriend. Perhaps she should just tell Jason to that something came up and she had to cancel date night.

As she pondered this thought for a few minutes, she came to the realization that she yearned for the closeness she was sure he would be able to give her. After all the adjustments she had made in her life, wanting to be with someone was the one she could simply not shake from her old life. She loved the feeling of being loved, of feeling strong hands roaming her body. She missed the feeling of being wanted.

She decided that she would just explain to Jason what she was feeling and let him make the decision of whether or not to have a no strings attached night.

This way of thinking was part of the new Jacqueline Burkhart. She was not naive enough to think that sex came with commitment. It could be as simple as two friends wanting to "do it" as Fez and Michael would have called it. Long gone are her fairy tale perceptions of every scenario dealing with a man. This Jackie adopted Hyde's jaded ideas on relationships.

She poured some more wine on her now empty glass and began thinking of what she would tell Jason when he arrived.

**Point Place**-

It was now a little past five in the afternoon and Hyde was spread out on his small cot trying to get some rest before his trip the next day. Part of him knew he should be out spending his last few hours in Point Place with his friends and the Formas, but he just wasn't up to it. He kept replaying Eric's words in his mind. He never actually thought it was a good idea to drive down to California. He did know, however, that it was a necessary move.

Whether he and Jackie managed to put aside their issues and try again was not something he wanted to think too much about. Though it was one of the main reasons he was going there, he figured that if they did not reestablish their relationship, he would at least gain some closure. He would be able to explain to her why he did the things he did and say the things he said. He would also be able to let her go knowing that the last thing he said to her was not "That's going to be hard to do if you keep coming around babe."

He kept replaying that day in his mind and whenever he thought of the good times they had together, he blamed himself for driving her away. It didn't take a genius to know he was the primary force in their downfall. The constant refusal to acknowledge any sort of serious commitment to her led for his current state of unhappiness. What he wished people would understand is that it was okay to not have a plan. Life was so much more fun when one is enjoying the moments as they come. He was never able to express that to Jackie. He genuinely cherished the time they spent together, with the obvious exclusion of any ABBA/Donny Osmond conversation she ever iniated, which he very gladly ignored.

Even when he found out what he had done in Vegas, he still tried to form ways to have moments with her. Granted, most of those were ruined because of their stubborness and they eventually ended up burning each other, but he did try. If they were in the basement, he would try and talk to her or glanced over at her in the hopes that she would be able to read his eyes as she had grown to do. He hoped that she would be able to see how sorry he was and how much he wanted to go back in time to when they were happy. All she had to do was look into his eyes.

The only problem with that was that she never did. She had convinced herself that the Steven she knew and loved was no more and as such, she just didn't look. Soon after she found some comfort in Fez and Hyde knew it was over. She had moved on so easily and it ate him up inside. It was so ironic to him that the zen he taught her years prior was used against him in her efforts to erase him from her life.

There on his cot Hyde just smiled. He had to admit that, in retrospect, she was more like him than he cared to admit. Down to the screwed up childhood and insufferable pride, Jackie Burkhart and Steven Hyde were two of the same. 

_Flashback-  
_

Hyde was sitting on his usual chair in the basement watching 'Little House on the Prairie' when his girlfriend emerged through the door. In his attempt to remain zen, he shot a quick "hey" at her without so much as a glance, which he knew always irritated her.

She decided not to reply and just walked towards the back of the basement into his small room.

Taken a bit aback, a curious Hyde followed shortly after only to find her undressing.

"Jackie, as much as I enjoy the view, what are you doing?"

Again, without responding, she continued taken off her clothes. As she slid her jeans off and pulling her t-shirt over her head, Hyde stood by the door confused. It was unlike her to go this long without speaking. It was also unlike her to go against her demure persona and simply strip without an explanation.

As she reached behind her back to unclasp her bra, he reached out and stopped her.

"What is going on?" he asked, this time more firmly.

She turned around and tried to look him in the eyes, which were shielded by his sunglasses. With his free hand he removed them and allowed her to see the eyes she could read so well.

"Make love to me Steven" she said almost in a whisper.

He noticed the hurt in her eyes and, without knowing what caused it, he sought to make it better. In a swift motion, he picked her up so that her legs wrapped around his waist and kissed her furiously while walking over to the cot.

Soon they found themselves making love as they had numerous times before.

-_End of Flashback-_

Hyde never did find out what was wrong with Jackie that day. After they made love, she had fallen asleep and he did not want to bring it up again so as to avoid upsetting her. So rarely was communication a priority in their relationship. He didn't know if it was because she didn't trust him or because she knew he was not the guy who said the right thing at the right time, but she slowly began to tell him less and less, and he didn't tell her anything at all. There came a point in their relationship, a few weeks before she was offered the job in Chicago, when they found themselves running out of things to say. He started thinking that the relationship had run its course, as he has seen so many times.

The only thing they seemed to have in common was their ability to hide their problems from each other. He no longer felt like the man she would share everything with as she had throughout the beginning of their relationship. He now felt like an outsider who had to ask Donna if Jackie was alright because she wouldn't confide in him.

He never thought to tell her he felt this way, partly because he hated talking about feelings. He probably should have told her, especially since it was the reason he was so hesitant in giving her an answer when she gave him an ultimatum.

When she asked him to decide if he saw a future with her, he was surprised she still saw one with him. Steven Hyde could not understand how she would want to be with someone she was clearly having problems trusting. He did not want to embark on a journey with her if it was already heading down a negative road.

Then when he had finally realized that she was worth the effort he would have to make, she was long gone. She had confirmed his thoughts that she didn't trust him, not even enough to wait for an answer.

'Forman's right' thought Hyde, 'this is a bad idea.'


	19. Chapter 16

**AN: Sorry this update took so long. I got writer's block and started working on a one-shot (which I'll be posting within the next two weeks) to get some inspiration. I finally got back on track, so here's the new chapter.  
**

**California-  
**

It had been a little over two hours since Jason left for his class and Jackie was becoming more anxious by the minute. She was still not sure what it was that she wanted from him. When she told him to come over, she had every intention of starting a physical relationship once again, just to rid herself of the loneliness she was feeling.

However, the more she began to think about it, the more she regretted the plan. If she did in fact sleep with him simply to feel better, she would still be that girl from Point Place who could not stand on her own two feet. She would be the girl who needed a man to validate her. Jackie knew she would not be able to take herself seriously if she so easily fell back to her old ways, especially after everything she had been put through.

She decided that she needed to be honest with Jason, as he was the only person in California she could confide in.

**Point Place-  
**

Hyde was sitting out in the basement with Donna, Fez and Eric. Forman was flipping through channels as Donna told them of her latest college adventure (this time involving a topless girl, a banjo playing hippie and a dog). Fez was seating opposite Hyde on the lawn chair and appeared to be struggling to open a chocolate bar.

For a few minutes Hyde forgot all about California. He was so comfortable doing just this-sitting with his friends, not needing to say anything at all. It was, however, a very rare occurrence for them for them to be together, so he knew he couldn't just sit and wait for the times where he could be this comfortable. He would have to go out and find the source of constant comfort. He needed to go to California and get back the life he longed to have again. Before he started thinking too much about this, there was one thing he needed to know.

"Fez man, you still haven't told us about this new lady of yours" he began.

Fez, who had finally managed to get his candy bar opened, smiled goofily.

"Ooh, you mean my new lady love. She is hot."

"Do we know who she is?" asked Donna rather excited.

"Maybe you do and maybe you do" replied Fez.

"You mean don't" corrected Eric.

"Nooo, i mean do, as in the opposite of don't."

Hyde smirked and shook his head.

"So we do know her. Who is she?" asked Donna.

"Well, let's just say she is big and she loves her a side of chocolate" he replied while popping a piece of chocolate in his mouth.

"She's big and likes chocolate...hm. Fez you're going to narrow that down, it could be anybody" said Eric.

"No you moron, not actual chocolate, he's talking about himself. She's big and she likes Fez."

"Fez, are you dating Big Rhonda?" asked Donna.

"Why yes, yes I am."

The other three members of the gang turned and stared at each other both shocked and amused. Ever since their junior year, Fez had called Rhonda his "soul goddess." According to him, she possessed the three qualities he was looking for in a woman: She was big, had a big appetite, and most importantly, she put out.

"Didn't she move to like Mississippi or something?"

"She moved back a few weeks ago."

"How did you guys start dating again?" asked Donna who was beginning to get more excited about this and Hyde could tell she would probably start asking a lot of questions.

"I was at the Piggly Wiggly trying to pick up hot older ladies-which didn't work by the way- when all of a sudden there she was, like a beautiful statue. She was eating the weanie samples and the rest is history."

"Have you told your wife yet?"

"Laurie and are are no more my American friend. She, as well as I, have moved on from our disgraceful marriage/"

"So you guys are really getting divorced?"

"Yes. All I have to do is find her. I think she might in Carlos' house."

"Who's Carlos?" asked Eric.

"I have no idea" Fez replied as he popped another piece of chocolate into his mouth.

Once again, there was a comfortable silence. Donna was looking around at the three guys she had become so close to throughout the years and she knew she had to bring up California, much to Hyde's dismay.

"So Hyde, what time are you leaving tomorrow?"

"Um..10 I guess."

"So you're really going through with it?"

"Yes Donna."

Donna looked over at Eric and Hyde assumed that Eric told Donna about the conversation they had recently and how much of a bad idea his trip was. As such, Hyde was ready for yet another lecture from his friends. If he didn't know any better, it seemed as though they had stepped back to a few years before when they tried convincing him out of moving to New York with Chrissy. In retrospect, he acknowledge that did he a favor then, but now he was confident that he needed to do this.

"Oh, I just figured that by now you'd decide to..you know, stay."

"Why would I do that?" he asked raising an eyebrow, knowing very well what her answer would be.

"Well...Eric and I were talking and we...we don't think it's um...we don't think it's a good idea for you to go."

Before he could answer, Fez interrupted.

"I think it's a good idea."

Everyone turned to look at him. Donna looked a big annoyed that he contradicted her, while Eric and Hyde were more amused as to what he would say.

"Why Fez?" asked Donna.

"He's not doing anything else here" the foreigner answered matter-of-factly.

"Jeez thanks Fez" replied Hyde.

"You're welcome" answered Fez failing to catch the sarcasm in Hyde's voice.

"He has his store here, of course he's doing something."

"If he goes to California to open a store then he'll be doing something there too."

"Why go to California to do something he's already doing here?" asked Donna and it seemed as though she and Fez would continue going back and forth like this which Hyde didn't mind too much because he didn't have to answer any questions.

"Maybe he's bored of doing the same thing here."

During moments like these, when Fez managed to say something smart, Hyde appreciated his foreign buddy even more. Frankly, he had given him more reasons to want to go to California. He was pretty tired of Point Place and the routine he had grown accostumed to in the past months. There were days where he felt stuck and a lot of that had to do with the town. Since he was little, he had worked on a reputation as a rebel, a young man trying to fight the establishment by any means necessary. He endulged in that image for years and now, he couldn't do away with it. As long as he stayed in Point Place, he was nothing but the criminal rebel child of rwo disfunctional alcoholics.

"Yeah but that's not the reason he's going there" said Donna which made the boys stare at her.

A few seconds passed before Hyde took over for Fez.

"Why am I going then Donna?" he asked, almost challenging her to say it.

"I didn't mean..I..Hyde."

"Why am I going?" he urged on.

"You know why Hyde."

"Just say it."

"Jackie. You're going to California for Jackie okay?"

There it was. The thing they had been avoiding for days was finally laid out on the table. Hyde was sure that everyone thought the same thing. Hell, to be honest she was one of the main reasons he was going there. However, everyone else had been smart enough to not mention it around him.

Once again, that awkward silence took over. Hyde and Donna just stared at each other while Eric and Fez shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

Finally, Hyde broke the silence. As he was getting up from his chair he said, "Always so damn smart Pinciotti."

He was making his way to his room when Donna got up from her chair. It was obvious that she got insulted by his statement and was not going to back down. She was not going to be penalized for trying to look out for a friend. She was doing the right thing and whether or not everyone else was willing to tell Hyde how much he'd regret the move, she was going to make sure he knew she wasn't supporting it.

"You know I'm right Hyde. You know the only reason you want to open a store in California is because that's where Jackie is and I'm sorry to break it to you but that ship sailed a long time ago."

Eric knew this was not going to end well and had to try to step in.

"Donna, I think you should stop."

"No Forman, let he keep going. Donna always knows what's best for everybody, don't you Donna?"

"What the hell does that mean?"

"You always have to have an opinion. Sometimes, I don't really give a damn what you say because it has nothing to do with you. Whatever my reason is for leaving, is my decision. It doesn't affect you."

"You're my friend Hyde, it does affect me. It affects us all."

"So it's okay for you to run off to California or Forman to go to Africa for a year but not for me?"

"It's not like that Hyde. This isn't good for you."

"I'll be the judge of that" he concluded before going into his room.

"You're making a mistake and you know it" she yelled, right before he closed the door.

As Fez popped the last piece of chocolate in his mouth, Eric walked over to Donna and said, "We just need to let him go."

She nodded her head yes, knowing that she had just given Hyde the most important reason to go to California-he was going to go simply to prove her wrong.


	20. Authors Note

**A/N: Hey guys, I'm sorry for the long hiatus (and for not updating now) but I've been really busy with two jobs, one of which finally ends next week so I should have more time to update. I know how much it sucks to wait for an update, but I really will try to put something up by next week. Again, sorry for the long wait. Hope everyone is doing well!**

**-Liz**


	21. Chapter 17

**AN: I apologize for the ridiculously long hiatus. My life has been taken over by school work. I decided to update now since I probably won't be able to update for a few weeks again. Hope some of you are still reading this, and that you enjoy it!**

After weeks of contemplating his decision, Hyde was finally on his way to California. He had decided to leave earlier than planned to avoid dealing with any more drama with his friends, Donna in particular. He said his good byes to Kitty and Red and hit the road.

With only a few hours left of his trip, he begins getting anxious and thinking about what Donna said the night before. He realized his going to California was a pretty drastic change from the routine he had grown used to but the idea of his plans not working out really seemed real. What if he this new store didn't do as well as the one in Point Place? What if he didn't like California? Then the biggest what if: What if Jackie wanted nothing to do with him, if Donna had been right? As he thought of more "what ifs" Hyde grew more anxious.

_Stop, _he told himself. _No backing down this time. _He wanted to break his habit of running away when things became too real, too hard. _This is why you're going to California...to break this pattern. _

With doubts and all, Hyde drove on.

**A Few Minutes later**

Hyde pulled over at a gas station to refuel and buy something to eat. As he walked into the station shop he noticed a pay phone and suddenly decided to give Jackie a call. He couldn't go the next two or three hours letting his nerves build up. He also figured that now is as good a time as any to arrange plans to meet her. He got some change, walked to the phone and dropped in a few dimes.

After only a few rings, he hears a click and then her voice.

"Hello?" she asks.

"Hey Jacks" he noticed that his heart sped up just as it had when he called her in the hospital. Even after all this time, she has that effect on him.

"Hyde?"

"Uh...Steven."

"Hi, how are you?" she replied clearly not understanding the correction he made.

"Good. I just called because I'm on my way to California and thought that um...we can meet up or something..."

There was a pause and he became alarmed. _Shit this is bad._

"If you want I mean,,,you don't have to" he quickly added.

"You're coming here? When?"

"I'm only a few hours away now."

"Where are you staying?"

"W.B. has a place near Hollywood and is letting me crash there."  
"Why California?"  
"Um..I'm opening up a store there. Look Jackie if you don't want to meet-" he was interrupted.

"I never said that...I'm just surprised that's all."

"That I'm going to California?"

"Yes Steven. And that after all this time you want to see me and...it's a lot to take in."

"You don't have to see me if you don't want to. I wouldn't force you."

The way he said that, with such tenderness and honesty really touched her. She wanted to believe him and she knew that _her _Steven would mean those words, but she kept thinking of the Hyde that threw her aside and she had to take everything he said now with a grain of salt.

"I...let me know when you get here so I know you're safe okay?"

"Sure...I will."

"Good bye Steven."

"Bye Jackie."

As he hung the phone on the receiver, Hyde mentally kicked himself. _Damn it! _Not only had she not seemed excited about him going to California, she hadn't even answered his question. She probably didn't want to see him. But why had he assumed that she would want to? _God I'm an idiot!_

He angrily walked back to his car and hit the road again.

That phone call had taken her aback. Never had imagined that her life in Point Place would follow her all the way to California, especially without a warning. What made it worst was how close he would actually be to her. Of all the cities in California, he would be in hers. Maybe it wasn't coincidental though?

He must have known she lived in Hollywood and that's why he was opening a store there. But why would she be a factor in such a big move for him? They hadn't seen each other in months and hadn't been together for over a year.

_'He probably just wants a friend' _she thinks.

As if she didn't have enough to think about, her doorbell rings and she remembers Jason.

She was sure she had given him the wrong idea before he left. Now she was going to have to tell her best friend that she's not romantically interested in him and would reject him once again.

She opened the door and finds Jason with some flowers in one hand and a movie in the other. He was obviously very excited for their "date night."

"Come in" Jackie said, opening the door a bit more.

"Thanks. I got you these and thought we could watch this movie. It came out earlier this year but I heard it was really good. I know it's not your kind of movie, but we should give it a try."

Jackie reached over and looked at the movie cover and her heart sunk. It was "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back." She couldn't escape her past. She had done such a good job for the past few months and all it took was one phone call and it all came tumbling down. Now here she was in her apartment, the safe haven she had created for herself, being crushed by all the memories of her life.

"I can't watch this" she stated matter-of-factly.

"I know you probably wanted a romantic movie for the occassion but-"

"No. Jason, I can't watch this and I can't do this."

"Do what? Jackie I'm confused."

"This movie...this is my life in Point Place."

"How?"

"Eric...Donna's fiance, these were his favorite movies. He loves Star Wars and I'm sure he dragged everyone to see this and I keep picturing them all: Donna, Eric, Michael, Fez...Steven."

"Okay...Okay we don't have to watch it. We can just turn on the t.v and find a show to watch."

"Please listen."

He stopped in his tracks and looked at her, concerned that she may be having a breakdown.

"I think I may have given you the wrong idea before. I know I said we would have a date night but I...I don't want to use you. I don't want you to be someone I turn to whenever I get lonely or whenever my past catches up with me and I need a way to forget. You are the only person I have here and I'm scared that you want more than what I'm willing to offer. I love you, but as a friend and I don't want to ruin our friendship and...I'm sorry." She was so hysterical and on the verge of crying.

Jason walked over and wrapped his arms around her.

"Jackie...sweetie calm down. I'm okay with being your friend. I'm not going to say I don't want more, but I am happy with having you in my life and if you want me as a friend, you have me. I'm not going to force you to do more than you can right now."

"You're so good to me Jason. Why can't I just love you the way you want me to?"

"Because that's not where your heart is now Jackie, and you have to understand that it's okay. You can't push something just because you think it's good...it has to be right too."

She stared up at him. Where had that advice been a year ago? Why couldn't someone have told her that and help her avoid all the pain.

"I have to learn that I guess."

He nodded. "It's not easy, trust me. I learned that the hard way."

"You mean..?"

He nodded again. "You and I are good on paper, but maybe it's not what we need. We just need to be friends for now and let whatever needs to happen happen."

"I'm sorry I hurt you Jason."

"I'm sorry I hurt you."

He gave her one last squeeze. "I'm going to get going and just let you rest okay?"

She smiled and nodded.

"And I'll take this back" he said with a smile and holding up the movie.

Jackie laughed "yes please."

"Call me if you need anything okay?"

"Thank you."

When Jason walked out of the apartment, Jackie plopped down on her couch thankful that she had a person like Jason in her life. Someone who could keep her sane and who was understanding of her pace. She hated that she didn't love him as more than a friend because he was truly the man she had always wanted, but as he said, maybe not what she needed.

She needed to learn to stand on her own before you accepted a man who would hold her up. She needed to prove to herself that she could do it.

After hours of driving, Hyde decided to find the nearest motel and crash until the next day. He was physically and mentally exhausted.

He found a small rundown inn a few miles away and checked in.

His room had green and white walls, a twin sized bed and a t.v. parked in front of it. There was a nightstand next to the bed with a phone and a lamp on top. He knew he had to call the Formans to let them know he was alright before getting some sleep.

He dialed the number to his home and let it ring a few times before someone finally picked up.

"Hello"

"Hey Red it's Steven."

"How's it going Archie?"

Hyde loved how Red still kept up his hard ass attitude no matter what.

"Just thought I would call to let everyone know I'm okay. I'm staying at a motel for the night and should be in California early tomorrow."

"Okay good son. I'm going to pass the phone to Kitty who is clawing at my arm."

Before he could say bye to Red, Kitty was on the phone asking him a thousand questions.

"Steven how are you? Where are you? Have you eaten anything? How's the drive?.."

"I'm good Mrs. Forman. I'm at a motel a few hours away from California, I bought some food and the drive is not too bad" responsed Hyde trying to answer all her questions.

"Oh Steven, be careful. I don't want anything to happen to one of my babies. I told Red this was a bad idea. You're supposed to be here with us."

"Mrs. Forman you know I couldn't stay in Point Place any more."

"I know..I just miss you sweetie."

"I miss you guys too. But I'll call as soon as I get to W.B.'s place."

"Okay Steven. Be safe out there."

"I will. Bye Mrs. Forman."

"Bye sweetie."

Hyde rolled over on the bed and quickly fell asleep. All the anxiety and worries about this trip escaping him for a few hours.

The next day, Hyde was back on the road feeling refreshed and determined to make the best out of California. Even if Jackie did not want to get back together with him, he was going to make she agreed to meet with him. He knew that if they couldn't work it out, they would both need closure. Their relationship was undoubtedly an important part of his life, and of hers he was sure.

He had realzied that one of the reasons he needed to see her is because he wanted them to talk about everything that happened. Not just Sam and Chicago, but even before that. He wanted to tell her why he couldn't give her what she wanted or say the right things. He wanted her to know why he had cheated and had a hard time trusting her. He just wanted to understand why they had failed.

It was something that bothered him for so long. In the time they were together, he had invested so much of himself in their relationship wanting it to work out. When they had disagreements he made sure to acknowledge his mistakes and see where she was right. Their relationship was the one thing he put any effort in, and when it fell apart, he was too exhausted to give it another try. That's why he let her go, why he didn't want to try anymore. Chicago had been his last effort. He had traveled for hours to make it all work and to see her throw it all away for a night with Kelso killed him. He didn't want to be the person who tried in vain anymore, so he left and never looked back. That's also why he let Sam stay...it required no effort.  
Hyde wanted Jackie to know all of this. He had kept it to himself for so long and it kept eating away at him. Even after Sam left, Hyde hooked up with many girls and with each one he promised he wouldn't make an effort. If they wanted him, they would have to work for it. Of course none of them did. Perhaps they sensed that he wasn't going to take initiative and didn't bother. It was the same story for months, take girl home, fuck her brains out, and watch her go. Sex had become such an out of body experience for him. His body must have been working on autopilot because he couldn't distinguish one from the other. He forgot their names, their faces. All these girls began to feel the same, sound and look the same. It had become part of the routine he had settled for.

As he drove, Hyde recalled the one night he could remember with a girl. It was a few weeks after Sam left but it felt so recent because he remembered it clearly.

_**Flashback**_

It was a little after 3am and Hyde stumbled into the basement with a girl behind him. They were both pretty buzzed from taking shots at a bar. He couldn't remember her name or even what her voice sounded like. He didn't care either. All he knew what that he was going to add another notch to his belt that night.

She tripped and started laughing loudly and uncontrollaby. Hyde tried to quiet her down so she wouldn't wake up the Formans. He couldn't fathom the idea of them catching him drunk with a random girl. They would be disappointed in what he had become and would lecture him about changes he needed to make.

He picked the girl up and took her into his room. Before he could close the door behind him, she was stripping her clothes and looking at him seductively. He couldn't deny that this turned him on, and it was the first time he got a good view of her. She was small and had perfectly manicured nails. Her dark hair fell on her shoulders with a few bouncing curls. Her eyes were dark but expressive. She looked so familiar to him, but so different at the same time.

He wanted her badly. Not waiting for her to undress, he pounced on her and kissed her. He couldn't understand why he became so addicted to her lips but he couldn't stop kissing her. Without breaking away, he led her to the bed where he laid her underneath him. For a while he was under this trance, and then she spoke.

Her voice was not what he expected. It was low, sensual and a bit raspy. He broke away and stared at her. For a few seconds he just stared. She laughed and that surprised him too. It wasn't shrill, it wasn't annoying. It was a normal laugh, almost contained.

"What's wrong babe?" she asked.

He just shook his head.

"Come here, Lana will make you feel all better."

Lana.

The name kept replaying in his head. As she took charge he just kept saying the name over in his head. Lana.

The rest of the night was a blur. He didn't remember if the sex was good, who finished first, or anything she said after that. He did remember her getting up and leaving sometime before 6am.

He saw her a few days after that working at a store in the mall, but neither acknowledged the other.

_**End of Flashback**_

Thinking about this, Hyde couldn't help but laugh. What the hell had become of his life? It was so funny how much she had effected him. He would have been perfectly content with his life in Wisconsin a few years ago, but now he wanted more. He thought he deserved more.

**AN: Thanks for reading. I have a clear idea of where this story is going now so when I do update it will be a pretty lengthy chapter because I want to finish this by December 4th (which is the day Zeppelin officially split up). Anywyas, see you all next time. **


	22. Chapter 18

After a few more hours on the road, Hyde had finally reached California. He was intrigued by this new place he would be calling home. Everyone he drove by was either tanned, half-naked or both. The city was so vibrant and illuminated. Never had his sunglasses come in handy more than now. The sun was beaming and he suddenly felt incredibly overdressed. The fall in California was warmer than in Wisconsin, and he felt foolish with a leather jacket and winter boots on. Luckily, W.B.'s place wasn't too far, and he would be able to change out of those clothes.

He quickly made it to Los Feliz and found the building he would be living in. Hyde was taken aback at how fancy it was. He knew W.B. had money, but he hadn't realized just how much. He couldn't wait to see what the actual apartment looked like.

As he was going to park his car near the front of the building, a valet walked up to him and asked to park the El Camino. Hyde shook his head. He was the only person who drove this car. Even after all the changes going on in his life, he needed to keep something consistant and his car was definitely it for him. Since Leo gave it to him a few years before, the car was Hyde's most valuable posession. Not only did it remind him of Leo, it also reminded him of his relationship with Jackie. They had build so many memories in that car, both good and bad.

He found another parking spot across the street from the building, got his small bag and headed to the apartment. When he finally saw the apartment, he was beyond impressed. The ceilings were high and a large chandelier illuminated the living room. The wooden floors looked freshly polished and the white, crisp furniture made the place look much bigger than it already was. _I can get used to this _he thought. Compared to the small space he had come to call his own, this was definitely a step in the right direction.

Not bothering to unpack, Hyde tossed his bags aside and looked around for a telephone. He promised Kitty he would call as soon as he made it to California to let her know he was alright. He couldn't help but smile at the thought of the older lady. Being able to call her mom if her wanted to was something he was still getting accustomed to, but having the option was great. Especially since his own mother had denied him very early during his childhood. She hated when he called her mom because it reminded her of the "dreams she was forced to give up to have him."

Edna always made sure to remind Hyde how much she sacrificed for him and he figured that's why she felt so entitled to make his life miserable. He could hear her so clearly still, "_I brought you into this world when I didn't have to. Sometimes I wish I would have made a different decision, who knows where I would be today."_

As a child, it tore him apart knowing that his mother regretted having him and that she could so easily tell him her life would be better without him. He tried so hard to make her see that she made the right choice in keeping him, that he was worth the sacrifice. He would clean the house whenever he got back from school and she wasn't there. Whenever she had his "uncle" over he would make sure to stay out of her way so she could have a good time. He would even wear the same clothes over and over again, even if they were dirty, so she wouldn't have to do laundry as often or spend money she could have spent on booze. He sacrificed so much of his own childhood to please her, to gain her approval, but to no avail. He quickly learned that no matter how much he tried, she would never appreciate him, never deem him worth it.

If truth be told, that's what made him jaded from an early age. He knew his life would do a turn for the worst very early on, way before Eric broke that stupid diorama in school that he got blamed for. Throughout his life he heard the expression "it takes a village to raise a child" and he always thought that his village was really screwed up and because of that, he would be too.

He quickly spotted a phone by the sofa and began dialing the number to Point Place. It rang a few times and he was surprised to find that no one answered, and reminded himself to try again later. He then decided to call another person he agreed to call. Jackie.

He took a small piece of paper out of his wallet, the same one Eric had given him in the hospital a few weeks prior. He dialed the number written on it and hoped someone would pick it up.

After a few rings, Jackie answered her phone sounding a little groggy.

"Hello?" She asked.

"Hey, did I wake you?" he replied.

"Who is this?"

"Steven. I'm sorry if I woke you up but you told me to call once I got here."

"Steven, hi. You're in California already?"

"Yeah, just got in."

"Okay good, I'm glad you're okay."

"Thanks...were you sleeping?"

"Yes, I guess I fell asleep."

"I'm sorry I woke you up."

She laughed. "You've apologized already."

"Yeah..I guess I have, huh?"

"Mhm. What are you plans now that you're here?"

"Well, I'm going to get settle, but hopefully I can start working on opening the store sometime next week. W.B. gave me the address for a few places so I'll check them out."

"Good, it's good to have a plan."

"Yeah...listen I hope this isn't sudden or anything but I would really like to see you, If you're okay with it I mean."

"Did Steven Hyde just admit he wanted to see someone? You can't be Steven. Who are you and what have you done with him?" she joked.

He laughed. It was good that she could still be silly with him, but he wanted her to see that he was not the same guy he was then. Well...he was trying not to be that guy.

"I just figured you know your way around and I need a guide if I'm going to live here now."

"Ah.. true motives revealed. I'm being used for a tour."  
"Hey, consider it your good deed for the day."

"A pity tour, how lovely."

"Exactly, are you willing to help out a needy man."

"As long as the only needs I meet are those involving scenery."

"That's all I'm asking for."

"I can definitely show you around."

"Are you free anytime this week? I was hoping we could meet soon so I don't get lost by myself."

"Um...I'm free around 12pm tomorrow. I'm not sure if that's too soon" she said nervously. It was too soon for her to prepare herself to face him, but she wouldn't have another day off for a week or so and she didn't want him to think she was avoiding him.

"Tomorrow sounds good."

"Oh,,,,okay well, there's this diner on Hollywood Boulevard that's really good. It's called Joe's Diner, you shouldn't have a hard time finding it. We can meet there at 12, is that good?"

"Yeah that's good, but a diner? I would have expected you to pick somewhere a bit more fancy."

"I'm not that person anymore Steven."

"Yeah..."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Sure."

"Bye Steven."

"Good bye Jackie."

He hung up and his excitement to see her was overshadowed by her last statement. "I'm not that person anymore." Throughout his trip, the idea of her being someone different scared him the most.


	23. Chapter 19

**The Next day  
**  
Hyde stood outside the diner pacing nervously. She would be arriving at any minute and he still hadn't figured out what he was going to say. How did people greet their ex-lovers? A hug, a handshake, a kiss on the cheek? Hyde never pictured himself being this nervous, especially about seeing Jackie. She had once represented everything that gave him tranquility, but lately she makes him anxious, and he hadn't even seen her yet. He couldn't deny how much control the woman had on him. Even when they were dating, she called the shots, though he would be damned if he admitted that to anyone.

He kept glancing down at his watch. They had agreed to meet at twleve and it was now 11:56. _Four minutes _he said out loud. He had four minutes to figure out what he was going to do when he saw her.

All of a sudden, a car drove into the parking lot and he saw the driver through the window. It didn't take very long for the driver to find a spot to park and when the car finally came to a stop, Jackie Burkhart emerged. She hadn't spotted him yet, but he had definitely spotted her. The girl he had once loved looked so different now. She had on a simple pair of jeans, a white dress shirt and heels. Her hair was longer than he remembered but still had the bouncy curls he loved.

He examined her through his glasses and this unexpected sensation filled him inside. It was as if he was eighteen all over again and she was his. All the feelings and moments they shared all came rushing back and at this moment, he was happier than he had been in a really long time. He had to force himself to remain cool, so he leaned against a wall and propped his right leg up against it.

It didn't take long for her to notice him, and she strutted towards him with a smile on her face. _So far so good_ he thought. She seemed happy to see him which was a really good sign. He returned the smile and decided to drop the cool act and meet her halfway. When they were finally close enough to each other, she reached over and gave him a hug. He was relieved she was taking the lead in this encounter and just hugged her back. The scent of her perfume filled his nostrils and it was comforting.

"Hi Steven" she said breaking their embrace.

"Hi Jackie" he replied. For a few seconds they just stood there, smiling at each other until she finally burst out laughing.

"How about we smile at each other inside, I'm starving."

Now it was his turn to laugh and he led her inside. It was good to see she still had a sense of humor and wasn't letting this be as awkward as it should actually be.

Once they were inside the diner, they grabbed a table and decided to order before catching up.

"I think I'm going to go for some toast, eggs and sausage" said Jackie.

"You do know it's not morning anymore right?" Hyde joked.

"I know, I'm just in a breakfast kind of mood" she answered shooting him a playful look.

"Okay, I guess I'll join you and have the same" he said handing the waitress their menus.

"Alright, be right back" the waitress said before walking away.

"So how are you Mister Hyde?" Jackie started.

"Mr. Hyde huh? I like it. I'm good Ms. Burkhart, a little tired from the road but can't complain."

"Of course you can't, you're in the presence of Jackie Burkhart" she said jokingly.

"That's true."

She nodded.

"How are you?" he asked.

"Honestly?"

"Yeah" he replied.

"I'm kind of nervous. I would never have thought to be here with you. It's a bit strange."

"I wouldn't say strange. Maybe different."

Jackie arched her eyebrows. This person sitting across the table from her was so different from the one she had expected. He seemed nice and honest and caring. She couldn't help but have her guard up around him. Yet she had just been so honest with him. _Tread lightly, _she reminded herself, _you don't know which Steven you're dealing with._

"Right."

The awkward silence that followed was a little disheartening for him. She thought it was strange to be here with him, so it was up to him to make her comfortable with him.

"I was looking over the menu and they sell peanut butter chocolate chip cookies and it reminded me of the time you made me some and we ended up throwing them at Kelso."

Jackie laughed. She remembered that day so vividly. Steven was feeling down and she wanted to cheer him up. Of course she was such an awful cook that the cookies were hard as rocks.

"God those cookies were so bad" she said laughing.

"Yeah, but they came in handy."

"I know right? I think I hit Fez with one of them."

"I hit Kelso in the eye."

"You always hit Michael in the eyes."

"It's a gift doll."

She tensed up. He saw her tense up. He should have known better than to say that word, but it was almost second nature to call her that.

"Sorry" he said.  
"Yeah..it's okay."

'_Change the subject' _he thought to himself.

"So you don't work today?"

"I do. I have to be at the office at 2:30."

"Oh, alright." Hyde had expected to have more time with her and he couldn't help but realize how much progress he would have to make in less that two hours.

"Yeah. We're finishing up this episode that's being filmed next week so we have to make sure it's perfect."

"Do you like your job?"

"It's good. Pays the bills."

"You always wanted to be in front of the camera and now you're behind the scenes."

"I know. I couldn't afford to go on auditions and wait to see if they would pay off. I needed a way to pay my expenses and a friend helped me get this job."

"If you needed help financially you could've called you know."

Jackie looked at him as though he had two heads. He couldn't really think that was an option, could he?

"Call who?" she asked sarcastically.

"Me" he answered. He knew how farfetched this sounded, but he wanted her to know that had she called he would have been there for her.

"Oh you can't be serious."

"I know we didn't end in the best terms, but you are my friend, I would have helped you."

"Steven, you and I are not friends...Calling you was out of the question."

"Jackie I would have helped."

"I'm fine Steven. I've learned to stand on my own and I don't need help."

"Everyone needs help."

"Look, let's drop this okay? It won't end well."

"Fine, whatever."

The waitress came with their food at this point, which Hyde was beyond thankful for. As soon as she set the plates down, he started eating. Jackie did the same and for a few minutes, there was silence.

"Why did you come here?" Jackie asked.

"What do you mean?" said Hyde looking at her.

"Why California? Why not New York or Chicago? Why here?"

"It just seemed like a good place to open a music store. It's where all the music is happening. It's a good opportunity."

"Did you know I was here?" she asked, determined to get the answer she wanted.

"I did, but that's not why I'm here" he lied. He couldn't tell her she was part of the reason he came. That would just scare her off. He knew he had to work slowly to rebuild anything they had before.

"Steven, don't lie to me."

"I'm not lying to you Jackie. I came to California to open a store. I called you because you're here and I have no one else. That's all. I want us to be friends, but if that's too much for you, I understand."

"I didn't say that. It just seems coincidental that out of all the places in the country, you ended up in California like me."

"I know, but I don't want you to think I chased you across the country."

"Oh don't worry, I wouldn't have expected that" she said with a bitter tone.

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing Hyde."

"Stop calling me that. Jackie I didn't come here to argue okay? I'm tired of arguing with you all the damn time. If we can't get along, then we should probably just not meet up again."

"Fine."

"Fine no more arguing, or fine we won't meet up again?"

"Fine no more arguing...and meeting up again depends on how this goes."

"Thank you."

"Whatever" she replied jokingly.

He laughed and was thankful that she agreed to stop arguing, this was not how he wanted their first meeting to go. He wanted to make sure that everything went well today, so he stopped bringing up past memories and made sure not to say whatever or doll anymore. As much as he hated it, he knew he was starting from square one with her and that meant he couldn't scare her off with talks of feelings or what could have been or what could be. _'Just keep it simple' _he thought to himself.

The two ex-lovers spent the next hour talking about California, their careers, music. Both were careful not to bring up any painful topics, and that was best for now.


	24. Chapter 20

It had been a week since Hyde's lunch with Jackie and since he tried (and failed) to find a new location for the store. He either couldn't find a cool enough venue or a big enough space. California was already beginning to overwhelm him. In Point Place he had been a big fish who knew everyone and every hip spot. In California, the only person he knew was Jackie, who was too busy all the time.

It frustrated him that she was this new person who no longer devoted her time to him. Not that she had done that after they broke up, but this time was different. After their break up he knew she still loved him. He knew it was egotistical for him to think that, especially since she had been with Fez, but he knew that he was still the man in her life. This new Jackie was independent and clearly self-sufficient. She was completely satisfied being on her own and treated him as a friend.

Steven Hyde was in the friend zone. 'What the hell man?'

Laying his head back on the couch, he looked around W.B's large condo. 'Jackie should see this' he thought. He knew she would love this place.

All of a sudden, he decided that she should in fact see it. He picked up the phone and began to dial the number to her office. After a few rings someone picked up. He assumed it was her assistant.

"Good afternoon, Jackie Burkhart's office, how may I assist you?"

"Yeah hey, this is Steven Hyde, Jackie's..friend. Is she available?"

"No, I'm sorry sir, she just stepped out. Can I take a message?"

"Can you tell her to call me please? It's Steven Hyde."

"Okay mister Hyde, I will let her know. Have a good day."

"Yeah, same."

'Damn it' he thought.

-  
**Flashback**:

Jackie enters the Forman's basement where she sees her boyfriend slumped on his usual chair, watching TV.

"Hi babe" she says.

He nods in her direction without any response.

"I stopped by the mall and bought a dress for the dance tomorrow night. I bought you a matching tie too."

Hyde took his attention away from the TV at this point.

"What are you talking about?"

"The winter dance, it's tomorrow remember?"

"No, when did I agree to go to a dance?"

"We were in the circle and I asked you to come with me and you said yes. Now do you remember?"

"What the hell Jackie, you know I don't remember things that happen in the circle."

"Well too bad because you said you would come."

"Well I don't remember so I'm not going."

"But I already bought a dress!"

"Then I hope you kept the receipt so you can return it."

"Steven please! I already told the squad I would go. I can't back out now, then I'll be a cheerliar."

"Well too bad, because I'm not going."

"Steven please!"

"No."

"Please."

"No Jackie."

"Please" *puppy dog eyes*

"Damn it, okay. But only for 30 minutes then we're out of there."

"Okay!" she says.

As she skips out of the basement, he stares after her wondering when he started letting her win.

**End of Flashback**

Hyde picks up the phone and dials an all too familiar number. As it begins to ring, he begins to think of what he has to say. Surely he should have thought of what he would say during this call.

"Hello?"

"Donna?"

"Hyde?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"Hi how are you."

"Fine."

"I can't believe you left without saying goodbye to me."

"Didn't leave me much of a choice did you?"

"I apologize if you were offended by what I said, but not that I said it."

"Huh..."

"Hyde I was just being honest with you. That's what friends do."

"Friends also support each other."

"Not when they think the other is making a mistake."

"So you still think my coming here was a mistake?"

"Yes, I do. I think it was a huge mistake."

"Luckily I've learned that you're not always right."

"You don't think I'm right now?"

"No Donna, I don't."

"Oh so Jackie has forgiven you and everything is perfect right?"

Hyde didn't respond. He knew she would be satisfied if he said no. Donna wasn't stupid though, she could easily sense his hesitation.

"Exactly. You went across the country for something that just isn't going to give, therefore it was a mistake."

"I didn't come here for Jackie damn it."

"Then what are you there for?"

"To take back my life. To prevent myself from sinking further into a mediocre life."

"So that's what your life was here?"

"Of course it was, where the hell have you been? I was exactly who everyone thought I would be. A burnout who's greatest accomplishment was being the bastard child of some rich guy and getting a store from him. There was nothing to be proud of there, nothing I could consider my own."

"And you'll find that in California?"

"I don't know Donna, but I'm here to figure it out and it's cool if you can back me up, and if you can't then whatever."

"I do support you Hyde, I just wanted you went there to do something for you, not just to get Jackie back."

"I can kill two birds with one stone Donna."

"Just be careful Hyde."

"I'll be fine Donna."

"I know you will be, I'm worried Jackie won't be."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm sure you know what I mean. Good bye Hyde."

She hung up the phone and left Hyde wondering. Not once during his decision to make the trip or being there did he really think about what his being there meant for Jackie. He figured he could just come back into her life and everything would be great. He had not considered how it may affect her or if he could bear the thought of putting her life in shambles once again. He hadn't thought at all. Similarly to all the time they spent together, he only thought about what it meant for him, how it would benefit him.

For the first time in years, Hyde decided he would put someone else first.

"Jackie Burkhart's office, how may I help you?"

"Hi, it's Steven Hyde. I called a little while ago and was wondering if she was available yet?"

"Hold on sir, I'll transfer you now."

"Thanks."

Hyde waited for a few seconds before Jackie answered the phone.

"Steven?"

"Hey Jacks."

"What's going on, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just wanted to invite you over for dinner if you're not busy."

"Well I get out a bit late but I can try and make it. What time?"

"Whatever time you want, I'm working around your schedule."

"Well, isn't this a surprise. What about 9?"

"Sounds good."

"Okay, I have to go on set but I'll let my assistant get the address okay?"

"Sure, see you later."

"Bye Steven."

After a few minutes of talking to Jackie's assistant, Hyde decided he needed to buy some groceries to prepare dinner. He was going to try and prepare her favorite meals and this would be phase 1 of his "get Jackie back" plan.

Let the games begin...


	25. Chapter 21

After a few hours of prepping dinner, Hyde was finally done and just waiting for Jackie to get there. He glanced over at the clock and it was only half hour til she arrived. And it surprised him how calm he was. When it came to Jackie, he always expected to be anxious, on edge. Though he would never let it show, he ways always on his toes around her. This time, however, he was relaxed, content even.

Perhaps it has to do with their last meeting going so well, or even that she agreed to come in the first place. 'This is good' he thought. If he could remain calm, then he would be able to speak to her rationally. Maybe he could even tell her that he wanted her back. She probably wants that also. Hell, wouldn't that prove Donna wrong too?

It would be risky for him to let it all out now, but every day he didn't say anything was another day he spent without her. He had gone a long time being unhappy because he was missing Jackie. Coming to California was a decision he made to get his "happy" back, so why not start with the one thing that would make him happiest?

Of course there was the fact that he had only actually seen her once in the time he's been there, and all they did was reminisce and talk about work. He actually had no idea if she was single or if she cared to not be. He didn't really know much about this new Jackie and perhaps it was best to get to know her as opposed to trying to rekindle anything they might have had.

-45 minutes later-

A knock at the door startled Hyde who was fixing up the apartment. Even though she was a few minutes late, he still felt unprepared.  
After two more knocks he went over to let her in. She stood on the other side of the door with a big smile on her face holding a bottle of wine.

"I would have been early, but I decided to stop and buy this. Figured you might only have those strong drinks you like" she started jokingly.

"Well, the stronger the better I always say." He moved aside giving her space to enter.

"I thought that would be the way you saw it so I was right in buying this. Wow, this place is amazing."

"Yeah, it is."

"Look at this view! It's incredible" she said walking over by the large window overlooking the park.

"Can't complain."

"I'm sure."

"So hey let me get your jacket and we dinner is ready so if you're hungry we can sit and eat."

"Yes please, I'm starving."

"Well, well, well.. Jackie Burkhart admitting to starving? Isn't that a "fat girl" might do?"

"I'm amused that you can quote me years later, but trust me, I'm not like that anymore."

"So, what are you like Beulah?"

She shot him a devilish look, "you'll just have to wait and see James."

He simply nodded and made his way to the dinner table.

-  
As they ate and caught up, he quickly realized that she was, in fact, very different from the girl he knew back in Point Place. Little Jackie Burkhart had grown into a self-sufficient woman who simply seemed content on her own.

"So I told Jason that the show could do well for at least another season. He didn't believe me, but here we are, doing better than ever."

"Well good. Is Jason the guy that picked up the phone in your apartment when I called a few days ago?"

"Mhm" she replied while stuffing a broccoli in her mouth.

"So you guys must be really close, right?"

"Yes, he's amazing."

"Great."

'Just great' he thought.

After dinner, she asked for a quick tour of the apartment "bedroom not included" she was sure to add. It made him smile when she looked at everything in awe. One would think she was raised in a house like his instead of a mansion the way everything impressed her.

He remembered the Burkharts had the most amazing trinkets and furnishing and he was awed the few times he was invited over. Sure this place was nice, but her home had been much more impressive. Yet, he also knew that she hated being in that house because she was always alone. Maybe she hadn't really noticed all the nice things she had because they represented loneliness and neglect. Hell, he remembered she once told him how great the basement was because it was warm, safe...homely.

"I'm really happy for you Steven?"

"Huh?" Happy for him? Because he was staying at his rich father's place?

"I mean you coming out here to do something different, out of Point Place you know?"

"Oh, yeah I guess."

"I always thought you have enough potential to get out of there, do something with your life. I'm surprised I beat you to it" she said with a wink.

"Yeah well, I was just waiting for the right reason to do it?"

"What reason was that?"

The two started at each other in what he hoped was a knowing look, but he was sure she couldn't guess what that reason was. Maybe if she was still the shallow Jackie he knew a few years ago she would insist he came out there for her. This new Jackie wouldn't guess something so superficial, and if she did she certainly was not going to say so.

"Just the opportunity. Opening up my own store somewhere else? That's cool. W.B. said he was going to close out the chain of Grooves but maybe now I have a shot at building it up again, starting the chains on my own."

"Steven Hyde, an entrepreneur...who would have thought?" She laughed.

"I'm not the same guy you left in Point Place Jackie. I've changed too."

"Left in Point Place huh?"

"Yeah." He knew where she was getting at. She focused on the fact that he said she left him. It was obviously a provocative comment, and it got the reaction he wanted out of her.

"I hadn't realized I left YOU. I was under the impression I left my old life behind."

"Well I was a pretty big part of that don't you think? Therefore, you left me behind."

"Whoa..no. You HAD been a big part of that, but not when I left."

"Oh no."

"No."

"Are you sure about that?"

"As sure as I am that you married a stripper, yeah."

"So much for leaving your old life behind." He knew he was being an asshole, but this is what he wanted. He wanted them to talk about what happened before so they could focus on moving forward together. He hadn't expected her to bring Sam up so quickly though.

"Oh you know what, fuck off. I'm not doing this with you."

"Doing what? Talking about what happened back then?"

Jackie began to grab her purse and walk to the coat when he said, "are you scared?"

He got her. He always knew how to get to her and that certainly stopped her dead on her tracks.

"Scared? Of what? Admitting the fact that you chose a whore over me?"

"Yes."

"I came to terms with that a long time ago. As it turns out, you're the one who lost something then. I was so busy being devastated by someone I loved that I didn't realize that I was being rid of someone who didn't love me like I thought. So am I scared? No, just indifferent."

"I don't think so."

"Don't stand here and pretend to know me Hyde, because you don't. Not one bit."

"I'm back to Hyde now?"

"Yes, and that's where you should have stayed all this time. I can't believe I thought this time might be different."

She turned and got her coat. As she walked towards the door she turned and said, "it was useless to think you wanted to be my friend."

Before she could even leave he yelled out, "you were wrong about one thing."

"Yeah? What's that?"

Walking over to her he realized just how much he had actually gotten to her.

"I never wanted to be your friend."

Daringly, Steven Hyde decided that it was as good a time as any to kiss his ex-girlfriend, so he did.


	26. Chapter 22

It took Jackie mere seconds to understand what was going on, and yet she couldn't bring herself to break away from him. She begins kissing him back passionately as he digs his hand in her hair. For the first time in years, she feels a soothing calm take over her body. It was as if this kiss transported her back to 1978 in Point Place when she was happy with her Puddin' Pop.

As she felt him moving them to the couch, never breaking the kiss, she remembers the last conversation they had before _she _showed up. Then, the calm left and her body stiffened. He chose _her._ With the image of a leggy blonde now in her head, she tore away from her past. Jackie quickly broke away from Hyde and hurried to gather her belongings.

Taken out of his trance, Hyde stared at her in confusion, pondering what he had done wrong.

"Jackie, what is it?" he asked.

"What the hell are we doing Steven?"

"We're...um, kissing I guess." Once he says it, he realizes how crazy the words sound. He and his ex-girlfriend had just kissed.

"God, I'm so fucking stupid" she mutters under her breath. "I have to go" she states, finally looking him in the eye.

"No, wait. Let's just...talk."

"I really don't think that's a good idea right now Steven. It'll just be confusing."

"So let me talk, you just listen" he replies hoping it will convince her to stay.

"Steven not now, I just-"

"Damn it Jackie, just let me talk" he says cutting her off.

Jackie wouldn't admit it but his determination to talk about something, anything, intrigues her. Never would she have thought they would have switched roles so drastically. Here she was trying to escape an uncomfortable situation and Steven Hyde was trying to talk about it.

"Fine" she said. Putting down her bag, she walks over to the couch and sits as far away from him as she can.

Not liking the distance between them, Hyde stands up from the spot he is sitting and sits next to her. Noticing her tense up, he shoots a smile at her which he reluctantly returns.

"I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable, and I'm sorry I crossed the line by kissing you...but, well...did you feel something?" he asks.

"Steven, I don't want-" 

"I mean, the kiss was hot, but...did you feel something?" he asks again.

It took her a minute to understand the reference to their first date on Veteran's Day. She couldn't help laugh. It is weird to her how long ago that night had been...how innocent and hopeful she had been. She really was a girl who believed, and desperately wanted, a fairytale life. She can remember that night so clearly. They had sat on the hood of her father's car for hours and talked about the most insignificant things and yet, it had been one of the best dates she had been on. She knew he tried his best to resist her that entire night, but eventually ended up having a good time.

She knows this because he told her. Of course it took him years to say this as he would not have admit it before. One night when they were laying on his cot in the tiny basement room, he told her how special that night had been to him and how he thought about what a relationship with her would be like. Once he said that, she couldn't help but think of all the time they had wasted being apart. She even wondered, once they had finally crashed and burned, how their relationship would have been different had they admitted their feelings that night.

Now, so many years later, sitting in an unfamiliar couch. She realizes that that night was a representation of their entire relationship. Both that night and in the years they were together, neither were able to put their pride aside and admit their true feelings. As a result, they both ended alone and miserable. He had married a stripper, and she moved halfway across the country to escape the hell hole that had been her life in Wisconsin.

"Steven," she began, "I don't know why that just happened, but it's not something I want."

"What exactly is it you don't want Jackie?"

"I don't...I don't want to go back to that part of my life."

"You mean the part I'm a part of" he responds.

"Yes..I mean no. The part where you are anything but a friend."

"You want me to be your friend?" he asks.

"I do."

"Jackie, I can't be your friend. With everything that's happened between us, I can't just have part of you."

She laughs. How dare he? How dare he back into her life and demand anything from her after all the shit he put her through. He is the reason she had to uproot her entire life and start over. The reason she no longer had family or friends.

"I am not giving you an option Steven. You don't get to have an option. The fact that you acknowledge everything that has happened between us should make you understand why it is that I refuse to go back down on that road."

"That was years ago! We're different people now."

"How would you even know? You don't know me well enough to know that. I'm not that girl I was back then. I'm not the girl who leaves with her tail between her legs whenever your wife burns me and rubs our failed relationship in my face...while you just stand idly by."

"Jackie, I was hurt then. I resented that you left with Kelso without waiting for my answer."

"Yeah well, I resent you now."

"Just, give me a chance to show you that I am not that guy anymore."

As he sat there staring at her, it pained her and angered her to see the sincerity in his eyes because she truly wanted to hate him. The one man who hurt her more than anyone in her life was asking for forgiveness and she can not bring herself to do that. No matter how much she has changed, she could not be the bigger person in this situation and give him the opportunity to get back into her life, to hurt her once again.

"I..I just need to think about it" she responds.

Jackie stands up from the couch and picks up her purse from the table nearby. As she starts walking towards the door Hyde rushes in front of her and stands in the way of her exit.

"Steven...please."

"Just answer one question" he says.

Jackie sighs dreading what he's about to ask her. What she fears the most is that whatever his question is, she will not be able to lie.

"What is it?" she asks.

"The kiss...did you feel anything?"

Jackie looks down at the floor wondering how she didn't see this coming. After a few seconds of silence, Hyde places a finger under her chin and forces her to look at him.

"Did you?" he asks again. This time, his voice is low and husky.

Jackie takes a deep breath. "Yes."


	27. Chapter 23

A few hours after leaving Hyde's condo, Jackie found herself outside Jason's house. She didn't know if he was there or not, but she thought of the one place she could be open and calm. It had surprised her months ago how safe she felt around Jason; how much of herself she was able to expose to him. It was one of the reasons she was so drawn to him when they first met. He was the first guy she felt completely at peace with.

That alone should be reason enough for her to consider him her knight in shining armor, or at least that would have been the case hundreds of miles away about a year ago. That Jackie Burkhart would have already planned out their wedding complete with baby names and china pattern. The new Jackie Burkhart, however, was a closed off, cynical girl who shuddered at the lack of completion in fairy tales and couldn't find any satisfaction in the stepford wife dream.

For that reason, she couldn't open up to Jason the way he wanted her to. After they tried dating for a short period of time, it was evident that his feelings were not reciprocated and they had been friends ever since. Jackie knew, however, that Jason's feelings for her had never lessened, so coming here to talk to him about Hyde was something she was dreaded doing. The problem was she had no one else to speak to.

Jackie knocked on the door, part of her hoping Jason was in class or the library so she couldn't hurt him, but she really wanted his advice. After a few seconds, she heard the bolts unlocking and then Jason was at the door. He stood there with a plain shirt and jeans wearing reading glasses. His hair was frazzled and he looked exhausted. Jackie could only assume he had been studying. She couldn't help but laugh at the figure standing before her.

"I'm glad I amuse you miss" he said playfully rolling his eyes. "Come in" he continued while moving to the side giving her room to enter. She quickly embraces him before walking towards the living room. On his coffee table are numerous books and crumpled sheets of paper.

"Jason, I can come back later and let you finish this." She knew how much he hated being distracted while studying. She always admired his dedication to school. If she could go back to high school, she would focus more on her studies and less on boys and cheer-leading. Maybe then her life would have been free of all the drama it had.

"No, it's fine babe. I needed a distraction. Wasn't getting much work done anyway. Do you want a drink?" he asks while clearing the table.

"Sure."

Jason walked over to the wine cabinet and poured two glasses of white wine. "To what do I owe this pleasant surprise may I ask?" He hands Jackie a glass and sits next to her.

"Thanks," she starts while taking the glass, "I wanted to talk to you about something, but I'm afraid it'll be awkward."

"What is it about?" he asks.

"Hyde" she whispers. Just saying his name in front of Jason was guilt inducing.

"Oh, I see" replied Jason taking a swig of his wine."

"We don't have to talk about it, it's fine forget it" she added quickly noticing how tense he got.

"No, it's fine babe. You can talk about him."

"Are you sure? I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."

"It's fine Jackie." He took another sip from his wine and began fiddling with a pen.

"Okay, well...I went over to his place today and we had a good time, just catching up and it was fun until, well...he kissed me."

"He kissed you!" asked Jason slightly alarmed.

"Yeah, we were arguing about everything that happened back then and then he just kissed me."

"What did you do?" Jason asks.

"I...I kissed him back. I don't know what came over me. It felt like I was back in Point Place. Like I was that same girl and it felt right until I realized that I'm not her anymore and that he really fucked me over. Damn it, you probably think I'm stupid now don't you?"

Jason looked at the girl sitting next to him and it surprised him how afraid she seemed, how doubtful she was of herself and it infuriated him. In the months he'd known Jackie, he had never seen her show so much insecurity and ass soon as this guy pops back into her life, she becomes the same little girl she swore she left behind.

"Jason?" Jackie asks after he doesn't respond.

"Sorry, it's just...forget it."

"No, please, tell me" she begs.

"Jackie, this guy comes back into your life and it's as if he never left. He has all this power to make you feel unsure about yourself. Now he goes and kisses you and it's as if you forget all the crap he put you through. He's the reason you had to leave everything behind and start over. Don't get sucked back into that life."

"I'm not, I just needed your advice."

"Advice for what? If you should give him another chance because he's a _different _person now? Let me tell you something, he's not."

"I knew I shouldn't have talked to you about this, let's just forget it alright?" she says.

"Too late now. You want to know what frustrates me most? That you can so easily consider giving this guy another shot, after everything he put you through, yet you can't even consider a relationship with me."

"Jason, please don't go there. We both agreed we're better off as friends" she replies.

"You're smarter than that. You know I can't be your friend because I'll always want more."

"God damn it, what is this, is it so hard for any guy to just be my friend? Is that too hard of a demand?"

"You can't be friends with someone you love, it doesn't work...But I'm sure you know that since you still love him. That's what this is all about, that's why you can't just be his friend...why you kissed him back."

The sudden change in mood between the two was something neither had expected. It had gone from happy to angry, and now it seemed like sad good bye. However, Jackie couldn't accept losing someone else in her life, especially when Hyde would be the cause, again. She refused to give him that much power.

"Jason...I don't know whether you're right or not, but I know that you are the only person I have who understands me and loves me unconditionally. I love you so much, just not in the way you want me to. I wish I could have those feelings because you're the most amazing guy I have ever met, but I just...can't. I hope you can forgive me for that and still want to be part of my life because I wouldn't know what to do without you, but I will have to understand if you want nothing to do with me."

"Jackie, stop okay? I'm not going anywhere. You know that. I'll just have to live with the fact that the woman I love is in love with someone else."

"Jason, I-"

Jason interrupts her and says, "It's fine. I'm...just going to get back to studying. Let's just talk about this some other time."

"Okay." Jackie grabs her purse from the floor and watches as Jason grabs his books again and settles on the couch. Before exiting his house, she says "Jason I love you."

Without looking up from his books, he responds "bye Jackie."

Over at his apartment, Hyde decides to call the Formans. Whenever anything went wrong in his life, which was basically all the time, they always made him feel better. Now, that he had possibly messed things up with Jackie again, he needed their reassurance. As he waits for someone to pick up, it dawns on him how much he resembles Eric now. The old Hyde wouldn't have told Jackie the things he did or call the Formans to ask for advice. The old Hyde wouldn't put so much effort for a chick, even if it was Jackie, and he sure as hell would not have left Point Place for something he was unsure of.

"Hello?" answers a voice on the other end.

"Hey Forman" Hyde responds.

"Hey man, long time no speak. How's California?"

"Eh...Listen is your mom there?" Hyde asks.

"You called to speak to my mom?"

:I just need to ask her something. She there?" asks Hyde again.

"No, she and Red when to the Piggly Wiggly to buy a watermelon."

"A watermelon Forman?"

"Mom found a recipe for a drink and...well you know mom."

Hyde laughs. He can imagine how annoyed Red must be, surrounded by people while Kitty picked out the perfect fruit, which would take her at least thirty minutes.

"Yeah, can you tell her I called when she gets back? I have something I want to talk to her about."

"IS everything alright man? I mean no offense but you calling mom to talk about something...it's a little strange" says Eric.

"Everything's cool, it's just, um..."

"Spill it man."

"Look Forman, you can't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you alright?"

"Yeah man I won't" replies Eric.

"I kissed Jackie."

"You what? You guys are back together so soon? You just started hanging out. Man Hyde you're good."

Hyde rolls his eyes. Leave it to Eric Forman to always make assumptions before knowing the entire situation. That's probably why he tends to mess things up so royally.

"We're not together Forman. We were just hanging out and I...I got caught up."

"What did she do? She probably slapped the hell out of you huh?" asks Eric with a slight laugh that irritated Hyde.

"No, actually she kissed me back, and then we argued. Things don't really change do they?" asks Hyde realizing that he had fallen into the same old habits as before.

"Well then you better figure out a way to change them because this is probably your last chance buddy."

"I know. Listen Forman, just tell your mom to call when she gets in. I still want to talk to her."

"Yeah man, I'll tell her. Oh and Hyde?" starts Eric.

"What is it Forman?"

"Don't fuck this up again" says Eric sternly.

"I'll try not to" replies Hyde before hanging up.

Messing up is not an option. There was no way he was going to make the move to California be in vain. He also would not forgive himself if he screwed things up with Jackie again. He just couldn't go back to being a miserable burnout. He would end up self-destructing for sure. No matter what he had to do, he was going to find a way to make Jackie a part of his life again, preferably as more than just his friend.


	28. Chapter 24

**AN: I am really sorry for the long hiatus. I've been busy applying for jobs since I just graduated from college! Yay me lol. Anyways, this story is almost done believe it or not, only about 3 chapters left so I will try my best to have it finished by the end of next week. I already have the last chapter nearly completed so it really shouldn't be too hard to have it done by then. Enjoy!  
**

A few days after the kiss with Hyde and her argument with Jason, Jackie sat in her living room looking over the a script a writer had given her for the show. Ever since moving to California, Jackie buried herself in her work in order to deal with her problems. When she first realized she should break things off with Jason, she took up extra shifts at the restaurant she worked in at the time just so she wouldn't have to tell him it was over between them.

Now, months later, she was trying to avoid the two guys who held a special place in her heart: her best friend and an ex-boyfriend who she shouldn't even care for after everything he put her through. In fact, she should be furious at Steven for making her feel so confused. Had it not been for him coming out to California, her life would still be simple. Before he re-entered her life, her biggest concern was which script to turn over to her supervisor for the show. Now, however, she was afraid she was going to lose Jason's friendship because she couldn't bring herself to cut Hyde out of her life (especially after that kiss). Unfortunately for Hyde, she would be damned if she lost another friend because of him. She had already done that with Donna and there was no way she would lose control of her life and lose Jason too.

Regardless of her lack of romantic feelings for him, Jackie owed Jason a lot. If it wasn't for him, she would not have been able to make it out here and would have been forced to go back to Point Place with her tail between her legs. He gave her a place to stay for a few weeks and helped her land her job. Also, he restored her faith in love and showed her that not all guys were assholes.

Jackie couldn't help but laugh at the familiar predicament. It's almost as if she has gone back in time and is back in Point Place. No matter what she did or how far she went, her past follows her. She must have been stupid to think she could get away from it all and start over. Leaving everything so unresolved then is the reason she is having to confront everything now. Unfortunately, Hyde and her were not the best at communicating their feelings. She recalls one point in their relationship where things were going downhill quickly. It was right before she got the job offer in Chicago and she knew deep down it was only a matter of time before they broke up for good.

One particular argument they had during this time sticks out to her now. It had started over something silly and quickly escalated to the point of no turning back.

_Flashback_

Hyde and Jackie were sitting in the basement while Donna and Fez looked at each other nervously. For the past ten minutes, the couple has been arguing about a comment Jackie made about her relationship with Kelso. While the other members of the gang knew better than to talk about Jackie and Kelso as a couple, Jackie knew it was the one thing that she could use in an argument to win. However, this time she might have gone too far.

"You really feel that way?" Hyde asks referring to Jackie's comment of Kelso knowing what she wanted better than Hyde.

"Not all the time, but he at least made it known that he saw our relationship lasting in the long run. I don't know where I stand with you even after all this time."

"Maybe we should go, this seems personal" interrupts Donna motioning to Fez to start heading towards the door.

"No. Sit down," says Hyde "I need someone else to hear how she feels so she can't blame it on me later on."

"Hyde, I don't think-"

"Sit down Donna" he repeats more aggressively. Fez and Donna both retake their seats as the couple stares at each other intently.

Hyde couldn't believe her nerve. Sure he wasn't the perfect gentleman she had always wanted, but he sure as hell was better than Kelso. He wasn't going around cheating on her with every chick in Point Place and having her buy him things just to stay. From the very beginning of their relationship, when they established that they would be monogamous, he knew he would be a better boyfriend than Kelso. He knew this because he genuinely cared for her. He wasn't just in it for the sex, he could get that anywhere. He wanted to be with her because she made him laugh, listened to him and she was one of the most interesting people he knew (which surprised the hell out of him). Yet, even with all the effort he put into their relationship, she preferred Kelso.

"You are making way too big a deal of this Steven. All I said was that for the most part, Michael was willing to give me what I wanted."

"Really? So you wanted someone who cheated on you and hauled ass to California the moment you proposed marriage? If that's what you want then tell me, because I can do that better and faster than he can sweetheart."

"That's not what I meant! You're always twisting my words to make a point" Jackie responded angrily.

"What point? What fucking point am I making? I'm telling it exactly like it is."

"Forget it Steven this is pointless."

"I agree. This," he says motioning between the two, "is pointless. I'm out of here."

"Are you breaking up with me?" she asks.

"I'm just over it Jackie. Honestly, that was the last straw."

"I didn't mean it that way Steven. I just...I just don't know where I stand with you. I wake up everyday anxious because I don't know if you're going to still want to be with me or not. I don't know how seriously you take our relationship."

"Not this shit again. I've been here for two years okay? If you bothered to pay attention before you got with me you would know I didn't stick around for a week much less two years. If you want us to work, you need to get over this "future" complex you have."

With that, Hyde exits the basement leaving the three friends dumbfounded.

Less than a week later, Jackie got the job offer and the rest was history.

_End of Flashback_

Trying to shake the memory, Jackie starts looking through the script and writing down a few notes for the editor. As she read over the plot summary, she sees that the episode is set around Jo's boyfriend suddenly re-entering her life and wanting to marry her.

'_Oh come on_' says Jackie to herself, '_talk about art imitating life.'_

She throws the script to the side refusing to read any more of it.

Suddenly, Jackie decides that she does need to make a decision regarding her situation. She no longer wants to be that girl she was in Point Place that allows a guy to dictate her life and have so much power over it. These recent feelings she thinks she's developing for Hyde are no more than nostalgia. All the love and concern she had for him during the early stages of their relationship resurfaced after his accident. However, in order to think logically, she needs to think of the guy she left behind in Point Place. That man did not love her and went out of his way to hurt her. That was the guy she needed to confront. If Hyde could made the effort to come to California, he was going to have to make the effort to gain her forgiveness.

Jackie stands up from the couch and walks towards the telephone in the kitchen and dials a familiar number. She nervously starts fidgeting with her fingers as she starts thinking of what to say first. Finally she hears a click on the other end and before the other person speaks, she starts off:

"Hey, it's me. I'm sorry I didn't call you sooner but I've been thinking a lot about what happened and I've been confused by it all. Is there any chance you can come over so we can talk?"

After a few seconds of silence, she hears "sure" from the other line and a wave of relief washes over her.

"Thank you. Um, I'll be waiting for you then."

A second click indicates that the conversation has ended. Exhaling, Jackie hangs up the phone and heads back to the couch to wait for her visitor.


	29. Chapter 25

After weeks of searching, and failing, to find where to open a new Grooves, Hyde has finally found a good location. It was not far from a freeway, which will help attract clients and it was also surrounded by numerous clubs and bars which was his scene. He was looking at the place with a realtor to finalize the details of signing a lease.

Hyde stands towards the back of the store where a counted was installed and tries to visualize what it will look like when it is finished. Part of him wanted to create an exact replica of the Grooves in Point Place just to have a sense of familiarity hundreds of miles from home. He would be in his comfort zone once again and things would be no different in California as the had been in Point Place.

However, his main purpose now was to prove to Jackie that he was a different person. He wants her to see how much he has grown in their time apart and that he was no longer the jerk who took pleasure in her misery. If he were to duplicate the store in Point Place, it would only show her that he is exactly the same.

"So just have your lawyer look over the lease if you'd like and it can be yours as soon as we process the paperwork" interrupts the realtor who has been going though the documents with Hyde. Hyde nods his head and takes the papers from the man.

"It is a great locale at a great price Mister Hyde. I can guarantee you will have a lot of revenue coming your way if you decide to get it. I would try and hire someone for public relations to spread the word about it or maybe have someone arrange an event, maybe a store opening party."

Once again, Hyde nods. He hadn't thought much about attracting a clientele and wasn't sure he knew how he was going to do that. When he got the store in Point Place, he had Angie who had helped establish the other stores in the chain and was knowledgeable in the business. Now, he was on his own trying to figure out how to manage a business efficiently and how to fix his personal life as well.

He hasn't spoken to Jackie since their kiss at his place and he was worried he might have blown his chances with her. He knew it wasn't his place to kiss her and that she wasn't ready to move down that road with him yet. However, after having had such a good day with her and having her in his apartment, he couldn't help himself. He reveled in the feelings that resurfaced between them as they enjoyed their dinner. Their conversations reminded him of those they had a couple nearly three years ago. That familiarity, that comfort, urged him to kiss her. In retrospect, he realizes how selfish it was for him to put her in that position. He recognizes that the kiss was to fulfill his needs and had not respected hers.

Understanding this now, Hyde decided not to contact her and have her reach him when she was ready to. The problem is that nearly a week has passed and he has not yet heard from her. He's been contemplating going to her apartment and speaking to her there, on her turf, and apologizing for stepping out of line. For the past two days he has been building up the courage to do so, and it was not or never. After his meeting with the realtor, Hyde was going to fix his situation with Jackie.

Over at her apartment, Jackie was sitting nursing a glass of wine trying to figure out how to fill the awkward silence between her and Jason. He has been there for close to half hour and the two have barely spoken a word to each other. Regardless of it being just a few minutes after five in the afternoon, both were on their third glass of wine. Having invited him over, Jackie knows she has to break the silence. The problem is she doesn't know where to start. How does she tell him that she can not reciprocate his feelings for her, partly because she kept struggling with her feelings for Hyde. How would she tell him that she kept going back and forth between giving Hyde a second chance or kicking his ass for intruding back into her life.

If she wanted to keep Jason in her life, maintain his respect, she knew that is not something she can say to him. He would probably think she is stupid for allowing Hyde back into her life, even as just a friend. She could not blame him. It is what she has been thinking every day since the kiss with Steven. She somehow got herself in a position of weakness. She gave him to opportunity to invade her space, to think it okay to kiss her.

Frustrated that despite her best efforts, Steven Hyde is once again holding dangerous cards. Now, she is in her apartment with her best friend who might not want anything to do with her. During her time in California, she has tried as hard as possible not to hurt Jason. She was doing a good job at that until Hyde showed up. Within weeks of his arrival, her favorite relationship was being jeopardized and she is not having it.

"Jackie,' Jason starts, "If you don't want to talk about it, it's fine."

"I do want to talk about Jason. I don't like that we've gone this long without speaking and I want to explain to you what's going on because I hate that I hurt you. It was never my intention to do so."

"You don't owe me any explanations. You're a grown up now. I'm not your father and I'm certainly not your husband so you don't need to justify your actions to me." Immediately, Jackie senses the bitter tone in his voice and knows better than to believe him.

"I know that, but you are my best friend and I do not feel okay with how things went down between us a few days ago and I want to talk to you about it. You don't have to talk if you don't want to, you don't even have to forgive me. I would appreciate it if you just hear me out."

"Sure Jackie, go ahead" Jason replies. Part of him wants to just get up and be over this whole situation. The other part still has hope that she will give them a chance and has realized it in the last few days.

Jackie takes a deep breath and tries to compose her thoughts. She still has no idea what she wants to tell Jason about Steven. Maybe it isn't even a good idea to bring him up and just talk about their friendship.

"I want to apologize for being insensitive the other day. I should have known better than to go to you about this because I know how you feel about me. I was being selfish but I did not go with the intention of hurting you or rubbing it in your face. You are the most important person in my life and I owe you so much and I will never, ever, put him before you. I hate that you're in my life and are everything I ever dreamed for, and for some reason I just can't have those feelings for you. I'm sorry for hurting you and I just want us to be okay. Please, help me make us okay again because I can't live without you in my life."

At this point, Jackie has become emotional and can not physically go on. Her sobs and tears break Jason's heart but he can not bring himself to comfort her. Since they first met, Jason has felt like her protector. He sat with her while she cried about her life in Point Place and how she still loved Hyde even though he hurt her. He guided her through many of the decisions that led her to where she is now and was proud when she became someone completely different from the broken girl he first met. If he could say so himself, he has been Jackie's knight in shining armor from the minute they met. He is everything she has ever told him she wants and yet, he wasn't.

Seeing her cry now, while painful, shows him that he can not be her knight in shining armor when she does not love him back. As selfish as it sounds, he will never be okay being _just _the best friend. Regardless of everything they have been through, he needed it to be all or nothing. If he couldn't be the guy for her, then whoever that was needs to take over his role as well.

Jason gets up from the couch, walks towards the kitchen and places his glass on the sink. He turns to look at Jackie whose wide, teary eyes are observing him, waiting for his response. Jason simply shakes his head and turns back to the sink. He can hear her sobs begin again and his heart aches more. He has to say something, even if he doesn't want to. Even if she can not give him what he wants, she was still very special to him and he owed her a response.

"Jackie, I understanding why you are upset. Trust me, I have been thinking about this ever since you left my apartment that day. I wish I could tell you that I'm alright with just being your friend, and a few weeks ago I was. As much as I hated it, I chose to be your friend because I wanted you to be a part of my life...I wanted to be a part of your life. But now...now he's back in the picture and I need to be honest, I can not continue to be there for you as long as he's around. I think you of all people can understand that."

It took Jackie mere seconds to understand where he was coming from but once she got it, it made her feel that much worst. Hyde was to Jason what Sam was to Jackie. He is the person Jackie has placed before him (even if she has not actually chosen him). To Jason, Hyde was the person she could see a future with while he was just the person she killed time with. The whole reason she is in California is because she could not handle the thought, the memory, of Hyde having chosen someone else before her. Yet, here she was, asking Jason to stick around when it was clear that she did not see a future with him...that she could not give him what he needed.

Wiping her tears and walking towards him, Jackie begins feeling like a hypocrite.

"I get it. I get it now. I'm sorry. I would never do that to you on purpose. I know how awful it feels and I hate that you feel like this."

"I'm glad you get it, and I know you wouldn't do it intentionally, but it's the position I am in and there is nothing either of us can do anymore" states Jason.

"You're a lot smarter than I am Jason" Jackie says with a sad laugh.

Jason takes her face in his hands and wipes a few tears off her cheek. He nods in agreement and kisses her forehead.

"I'm sorry" she whispers softly as she leans into his chest.

"I know" he responds and runs his fingers through her hair.

Both stay this way for a few minutes, relishing the moment. It is obvious that their relationship is about to take a drastic turn. It isn't as obvious if it would be for the best of not, but so long as they stood still, in her kitchen just like this, neither would need to address that issue yet.

A knock at the door interrupts their intimate moment and forces them to break away from each other. Stepping back, Jackie shoots Jason a small smile before walking to her door to see who the uninvited guest is.

Jackie quickly opens the door and feels as if the wind has been knocked out of her when she sees Steven Hyde standing there, with a bouquet of flowers, smiling innocently. She looks over at Jason who appears as infuriated as he was when she told him she kissed Hyde a few days ago.

"Jackie, can we talk?" asks Hyde.

**A/N: DUN DUN DUN! There are only two chapters left in this story so stick around and see what happens next. Thank you to everyone who has been reading the story and everyone who's reviewed it. You have made it extremely fun to keep writing!  
**


	30. Chapter 26

Jackie remains in shock as Hyde stands there. Ever since she walked out of his apartment she has been searching for a way to contact him and figure out how to form a friendship with him after all they have been through. However, she was certainly not ready to do that while Jason was standing just a few feet away from her. She quickly glances over to the kitchen where Jason is standing pouring himself another glass of wine and she can immediately tell his is uncomfortable with the situation. Frankly, so is she and is dreading what might happen with both men there.

"Steven, it's not a good time right now. I'm in the middle of something" she says. After just having told Jason that he will always come before Hyde, she needs to make him see that she was being honest and the only way to do that in this situation is to have Hyde leave.

"Jackie" starts Hyde. He notices Jason in the background and quickly lowers his voice so only Jackie can hear. He isn't sure who this man is, but something in him makes him become guarded. He was expecting to have a smooth conversation with Jackie in which he can explain and apologize for the kiss. However, now he has to deal with whoever this guy was also. "I really need to talk to you" he finishes.

"Steven, why don't you just call me a little later and we can figure out a time to meet and talk about whatever it is you want" responds Jackie, desperately hoping to show Jason that she intends to keep her word.

"I can't wait, I'm sorry but this is important" Hyde says firmly. He would be damned if he came all this way to have some random guy get the upper hand. Granted he has no idea who he is, but he keeps convincing himself that he is not as important as the history he shares with Jackie.

At this point, Jason is annoyed by Hyde's persistence and decides to step in. "Listen man, we're busy right now so how about you call her at another time and let us finish. I'm sure she can pencil you into her schedule."

Hyde's brows rise and he directs his gaze at the stranger a mere feet away. It intrigues him how different California is from Point Place thus far. In Wisconsin, no one would ever dare step to him or speak to him the way this man just did. They all knew better than to challenge Steven J. Hyde. Frankly, he is taken aback at the unexpected response but refuses to let the guy get to him.

"Listen _man_" he says mockingly, "I don't know who you are, but this is between me and Jackie so it's best if you stay out of it."

Jason places his glass down on the kitchen counter and walks towards where Jackie is standing. She is still by the door, looking at him unsure of what his next move will be. In an attempt to show Hyde how important he is to Jackie, Jason wraps his arm around her shoulders and smiles at her. She shoots him a small smile. "It if concerns Jackie, it concerns me" he says to Hyde.

"I hadn't realized Jackie had a keeper. I thought she was a grown woman. Excuse the hell out of me for the misunderstanding" replies Hyde sarcastically.

Jackie furrows her brow at the insult. She knows why Jason is acting the way he is and she appreciates that he cares enough about her to be protective. It also saddens her a bit that there was once a point in her life where Hyde was her "keeper" and took pride in being the one who protected her. Now, here he is, mocking Jason for doing the exact same thing.

"Jackie is fully capable of taking care of herself. I'm just making sure you don't manage to snake your way back into her life" says Jason bitterly.

Jackie looks at Jason in disbelief. She knows he is not Hyde's biggest fan, but she did not expect him to go there. Throughout her time in California, she has told Jason everything about Hyde and he is the reason she has been able to move on from that life and become happy. In the time she has known him, he has never been someone to take a low blow like the one he just took.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" asks Hyde. His teeth and hands are clenching and his breathing becomes shallow. "You don't know a damn thing about me so I suggest you learn your fucking place."

Jason smirks at the obvious shift in power. He has Hyde exactly where he wanted to, he now has the upper hand and he is going to make sure to win this "war."

"Trust me, I know you _Hyde. _I know what you're capable of and I won't let you hurt Jackie."

Hyde looks over at Jackie and she can see he is reaching his boiling point. His eyes portray a fierceness she has not seen in years and she knows he is just as mad at her for telling Jason about him as he is about Jason's insolence. She quickly tries to stop Jason from going any further but he ignores her and continues spewing insults towards Hyde. "You didn't think that after everything you put her through you could come back in her life? Trust me buddy, it's not going to happen."

"Jason, please stop" urges Jackie again.

"Yeah, _Jason. _If I were you, I would listen to her" responds Hyde coolly. He wonders just how much Jackie has told this Jason character about their relationship and the mistakes he has made. He probably guesses she has told him everything which pisses him off but again, he must remain zen. Aloof.

"Or what?" replies Jason. His desire to protect Jackie has escalated to a new level, one that including hurting Hyde in any way he could. He knows he's pushing it and is putting Jackie in an uncomfortable position but what he wants more than anything is to show her that he, and he alone, can protect. He wants to show her that Hyde can not do that for her, that he can not measure up to him.

At this point, Hyde has stepped into the apartment and is only a few centimeters from Jason. He has to remind himself to not kick this guy's ass if only to show Jackie that he is a different person that the one he was back in Point Place. As much as he wants to just punch Jason's face in, his priority is her. "You're not worth it so if I were you I would stop ahead of time."

"Again, or what?" Jason steps closer to Hyde and is almost face to face with him when Jackie steps between them. "Enough," she says, "I need both of you to stop." she walks over to the couch and takes a seat leaving both men looking after her.

"Jackie, what do you want me to do about him?" asks Jason.

"I don't know Jason...I just wish you would both stop and stop putting me in this position."

"All I want to do is talk to you" says Hyde. "I didn't come here to argue with this dude, I came to talk to _you._"

"And she doesn't want to talk to you, get the damn hint. You've hurt her enough already with your stripper wide and alcohol binging. You don't understand that you're trash and don't deserve her?" Jason is now as close to Hyde as physically possible.

"Jason" yells Jackie completely incredulous. Everything she has told him about Steven was for him to help her cope with her past life and help her start a new one. She certainly had not told him so he could use it against Hyde. It infuriates her that Jason crossed that line so easily. No matter how protective he feels about her, he knows how sensitive that subject is for her and should have known better. Not only did he disrespect Hyde, he completely disregarded her feelings. However, before she could say anything else, Hyde already punched Jason square in the jaw. Both men are on the floor with Jason being pinned down and Hyde continuously bashing his face in.

Jackie rushes from the couch to where they are and tries to pull Hyde off Jason. She struggles with his weight and nearly falls backwards. "Steven stop it!" she yells. As she continues to struggle pulling Hyde away, she notices blood gushing from Jason's face and begins to freak out. "God damn it Steven get the fuck off him."

After laying a few more punches, Hyde gets off Jason. His knuckles are bleeding and he notices a small pool of blood under Jason. His shirt is soaked and all he can focus on is Jackie rushing towards Jason to make sure he is okay. Hyde knows how much he screwed up and doubts Jackie will ever forgive him now. "Jackie, I...I'm sorry. I didn't, I mean I..." he stammers. What can he possibly say to make this okay. All his zen practice throughout the years have failed him. He let one asshole get to him in a matter of minutes and now his chances with Jackie are zilch.

Hyde turns his back towards the horrific scene and paces back and forth in disbelief. He curses himself under his breath and before he knows it, is knocked down. Jason picks him up by the collar of his t-shirt and lays a bunch across his cheek. Both men rumble around as Jackie tries to step in the middle of the fight. She is crying and cursing at both to stop.

After several minutes, she manages to break them apart. Both men are a bloody mess and Jackie can't stop sobbing. How did it come to this? How could the two men she has cared most about hurt her like this?

Jason walks over to the kitchen and grabs a handful of napkins, runs cold water through them and starts cleaning the blood off his face. Hyde stands by the door wiping his chin with the back of her hand and Jackie is sitting on the sofa, her head in her hands, sobbing uncontrollably. Hyde walks over to her, kneels down and touches her arm. "I'm sorry" he whispers. "Jackie, I'm so sorry. I didn't want to do this."

"Get away from her" he hears Jason say from the kitchen. "Don't you dare fucking touch her after doing this. You are a bigger bastard than I thought you were."

"Me?" asks Hyde getting back on his feet. "You're not exactly prince Charming are you now buddy."

"I was defending her honor. You threw the first punch like the coward you are. Just get out, she's not going to choose you over me so just stop trying."

"You're so sure she'll choose you but from where I'm standing, you're not much different from me."

"Let's be clear here, I am nothing like you. That's why she'll choose me, because I'm better than you. I'm better for her."

Hyde can't help but laugh. The amount of times he has heard about how something or someone is better for Jackie than he are more than he can count. Kelso, Fez, Chicago. All things that were supposed to be better for her and yet none of them had worked out. That fact alone made them equal to him. The only difference is he isn't giving up. Unlike Kelso and Fez, he loves her and will continue to fight for her. Unlike Chicago, he is a sure thing—has grown to be a sure thing. Now this guy claims to be better for her? Hyde doubts that.

"Don't believe me? Let's just ask her." Jason walks over to Jackie who is still in distress and asks her who she chooses. Unable to reply, she just breathes deeply and asks him to stop. "Jackie, who do you choose?" he presses on.

Jackie shakes her head. How can he be asking her to choose right now? After everything that just happened, he should know that she's not okay and that should be his main concern, not whether she chooses him or not.

Getting irritated at the lack of an answer, Jason grabs Jackie by the elbows, forces her to stand up and asks her once again to choose. "I can't" she replies softly.

"You can't decide who you choose?" he asks firmly.

"Leave her alone, can't you see she's freaked out?" says Hyde walking towards where they are standing and grabbing Jackie from Jason's arms. She instinctively wraps her arms around his neck and begins to cry harder than before. He runs his fingers through her hair and whispers words of comfort.

"DAMN IT JACKIE JUST CHOOSE" yells Jason who is enraged by what the former lovers are doing.

Hyde shoots him a cold look and continues to calm Jackie down. Jason, not willing to lose, walks over to them, yanks Jackie's arm and makes her look into his eyes. "You need to choose right now Jackie. Right now. It's either him or me."

Once again, Jackie shakes her head. This isn't the Jason she knows. This isn't the person who has stood by her through her ups and downs. This person standing in front of her, asking her to make this decision is someone she doesn't know, someone she doesn't like. "I can't" she responds.

Disgusted, Jason lets go of her and starts heading towards the door. "You just made your choice. I hope you're happy." He opens the door and slams it shut on his way out.

Jackie collapses onto the floor and starts crying again. Hyde rushes to her and cradles her in his lap. She nuzzles her head in his neck and revels in the familiarity, the intimacy. However, she hates that he also creates this fiasco. Had he just listened to her and left when she asked him too, all of this could have been avoided. Now, yet again, he has cost her someone important to her and it was unforgivable.

She raises her head and pushes her body off him. She crawls a few feet away and brings her knees to her chest as she sits on the floor. He looks at her, sad that she has broken their closeness.

"Why do you keep doing this to me?" she asks in between sobs.

He looks at her quizzically, unsure of what she is talking about.

"Why do you insist on ruining my life?" she says.

Hyde looks on shocked that she thinks this is his intention. After all the effort he has done to get her back in his life (even if he has managed to mess it up), not once did he think he was ruining her life. "That's not what I want to do. That's not why I came to California to do Jackie. I'm so sorry if that's what you think of me." He tries to move closer to is stopped when she shakes her head and raises her hand up.

"Then why are you here Steven? What did you come all this way for if it wasn't for that?" she asks firmly.

"I came..." he exhales deeply and looks around. The mess he has managed to cause in such a short period of time really disgust him. How can she not think his intention is to mess up her life if that's all he's done so far? "I guess it doesn't matter why anymore. It's probably a good idea for me to go back to Wisconsin anyway" he says while getting up from the floor.

"No" she says and also gets up. "You owe me that much. Why did you come here?"

"Jackie, I don't think either of us is in the right state of mind to have this conversation."

"WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU HERE!?" she yells.

Her reaction frightens him. The only times she has yelled at him have been when he really fucked up and if he didn't already know he fucked up, now he did. He sees the rage in her eyes, something he has never seen in all his years of knowing her.

"I came because I want you. I want you back in my life and I thought that by coming here I could have another shot at happiness. I came hoping that you could forgive me and we could both have a shot at happiness" he replies honestly. As soon as those words left his mouth, a huge weight was taken off his shoulders.

"You want me?" she asks.

Hyde nods nervously because that look is still there. His nerves, however, are replaced by confusion as she begins to unbutton her blouse. One by one the buttons came off the hole until she was finally standing in her bra.

"What are you doing?" he asks.

"You said you want me. Well, here I am."

Tears continue to stream down her face as she unhooks her bra and proceeds to unzip her skirt. Standing a few feet away, Hyde becomes uncomfortable. As beautiful as she is standing half naked in front of him and as badly as he wants to go over and have his way with her, this is not what he wants. He stares at this woman, standing there nearly broken and his heart breaks for her. This Jackie, which he has seen so many times as a result of his constant fuck ups throughout their relationship, is not the one he wanted to see ever again. This woman is a constant reminded of how badly he treated her and how his only constant in his life has been breaking her spirit. He had come to California to find his constant and what he truly wants now is to do away with it. He wants a new constant, one which includes Jackie being happy and fulfilled.

He rushes over to her, picks her blouse from the floor and grabs her hands to stop her from further revealing herself. "Stop" he whispers.

"Why?" she asks sobbing, "isn't this what you want? Am I not good enough now?"

Hyde takes her arms and pulls them through the sleeves of the blouse and gently buttons it back on. She looks down at his hands, slowly undoing what she did and she feels all the energy drain from her body. The weight of her body collapses on him and she can't seem to cry anymore. Hyde lifts her up and sits her down on the couch. There, he does the last few buttons on her blouse and cups her face in his hand.

"I want to be your friend" he says while looking into her eyes. She sees straight into his blue eyes and can feel the honesty and his love for her. Surprisingly, she musters a laugh which causes him to smile a bit.

"You want to be friends?" she asks. The thought of being friends with Steven Hyde was so unbelievable to her, it was comical.

"I do."

"Why?" she asks curiously.

"Well, I figure we've never actually been friends and maybe that's why things don't work out between us. Maybe if we do it like normal people, then it might work out this time" he says with a smile.

"How do you know I want it to work out?" she asks, returning his smile.

His face suddenly falls and he becomes serious. "I don't. I can only hope that somewhere down the road you can forgive me and want to give me another chance."

"And you're willing to wait that long?" she asks.

"As long as it takes" is his simple response.

Jackie simply nods her head. It amazes her how she can fall under his charm every time. The thing is, however, that this time felt different. She knows that's probably the hopeless romantic in her speaking but she senses that both are now different people and this friendship idea may actually be beneficial to them. Even if a relationship doesn't come into fruition from this plan, they can still develop some sort of civil relationship and can get some closure from their messy past.

She extends her hand in front of her and holds it out for him. He laughs and accepts her handshake.

"I guess I'm starting at the very beginning" he says mischievously.

She nods and smirks, "I wouldn't have it any other way, _friend._"


	31. Chapter 27

**AN: Last chapter people! I've been working on this story for such a long time and it is so weird finally finishing it. I definitely had some challenges writing it because I couldn't figure out how to end up, but it's been my favorite one to write. I want to thank everyone who read/reviewed it, you all made it more fun to write it (even when it took me months to update lol). Hope you guys enjoy the last chapter, and until next time!**

As she is getting ready to go out, Jackie looks up at the calendar hanging on her refrigerator and notices that it is already December 4th. Christmas was only a few weeks away and soon after that it would be an entirely new year. She couldn't believe how much she endured since she left Point Place in February. Not only has she completely made a life for herself, by herself might she add, but she has also managed to stand on her own two feet for the first time and be fine. Her time in California, though the result of her greatest devastation, ended up being her saving grace. Who knows how she would have turned out had she stayed in Point Place. Her guess is she would have been the second coming of Pam Burkhart, an unfit, alcoholic, money-hungry mother.

Grabbing her wallet, Jackie rushed out of the door and made her way to the grocery store a few blocks away. Hyde has invited her over to his apartment so they could spend her day off together. He agreed to bring a few movies and records if she would take care of the drinks and food (which she would order for delivery of course).

As she makes her way to the store, one thing Jackie notices makes her nostalgic of her life in Point Place. It is the holiday seasons, and there are no Christmas decorations anywhere. She sees a few decorations in store windows, but none of the houses she passes are decorated nor did the streets have cheery banners. In Point Place, people put up their lights right after Thanksgiving dinner. California was obviously not feeling the holiday spirit and maybe that's why she didn't realize it was December already.

She begins thinking whether or not it would be weird to get Hyde a Christmas gift. They were friends after all but did this new relationship they've been building the last few weeks allow for presents?

_'I probably shouldn't' _she thought. Hell, how awkward would it be if she got him something and he didn't get her anything. She would seem pretty desperate wouldn't she?

She reaches the grocery store and notices a familiar figure standing a few yards away. After squinting her eyes, she realizes it's Jason standing in front of a small vendor, hand in hand with a girl, both appear to be buying a Christmas tree. Jackie feels her heart beat racing. She hasn't seen Jason since his altercation with Hyde and whenever she called him, he hung up the phone. The last few weeks without him have been difficult for Jackie. Before the fight in her apartment, Jason was her go-to person for everything. Not having him around, even if she did have Hyde now, was like missing a large part of her life. She remembers the plans they both made for Christmas when they started dating in February. They were supposed to go to a nice hotel in Malibu and hang out at the beach everyday and ring in the New Year's with a firework display they did every year.

Now, her New Year's plan consisted of hanging at home by herself. Hyde has asked her if she wanted to go back home with him and spend it with the Forman's and their friends, but she had politely declined. She is not yet ready to face her past all at once. She and Hyde have slowly started hanging out more and more but she is still getting used to the idea of him being back in her life. She is not ready to go back to Wisconsin and tackle all her demons. Besides, she still hasn't spoken to Donna since their argument over the phone weeks before and she still did not know how she would mend that broken friendship. Having Hyde gone over the holidays would give her time to think clearly and decide what moves she should make in the upcoming year.

"Jackie?" she hears a voice nervously call out and quickly looks up to see Jason and who she assumes is his girlfriend standing a few feet from her.

Jackie smiles and waves enthusiastically and walks towards the couple. As she gets closer, she can see the girl Jason's with better. She is a pretty girl, about the same age as her, with blonde hair and big brown eyes. "Hi Jason" says Jackie. She forgets how bad things ended between them because she is so excited to see him.

"Hi, how are you?" he says. Jackie notices that he is slightly uncomfortable and remembers their epic fall out and quickly becomes nervous herself. However, she reminds herself to remain cool, remain _zen._

"I'm doing alright, you?" she asks. Jackie notices the girl stands behind Jason and wonders if she knows what happened between the two friends...ex-friends.

"I'm alright too. Just keeping busy. Oh, sorry I'm being rude. This is Vanessa" says Jason motioning towards his companion, "she's uh..she's my girlfriend."

Jackie extends her hand and says "very nice to meet you." Vanessa returns the handshake politely and nods her head. She doesn't seem to look at Jackie with any bitterness so Jackie assumes that perhaps he hasn't told her.

"So...what have you been up to?" asks Jason.

"Just the same as usual, working, keeping busy too." Jackie knows that Jason is curious to know about Hyde. She can read him like a book. That is the benefit of having been his best friend. However, after what happened, she knew better. She quickly changes the subject. "Are you guys buying a tree?"

"We were," Jason responds, "but we are spending Christmas in Malibu so we decided it doesn't make sense to buy one if we won't be home."

Jackie finds it interesting that Jason is carrying along with _their _plan with his new girlfriend. "That makes sense" she replies remaining calm. She isn't going to let him think that this has any affect on her.

The couple nods. "So we're going to get going" says Jason, "say hello to Hyde for me" he says bitterly. Now it is Jackie's turn to nod. They say their good-byes and go their separate ways. It saddens her to see that her friendship with Jason is still shattered and she can't do anything about it. All she can do is wait and hope that one day he will come back into her life.

**45 minutes later**

Jackie is outside Hyde's apartment waiting for him to open the door. She hears music playing from the inside and smells some delicious. A few seconds later, Hyde walks to the door with an apron and a spatula. She laughs because he is covered in a yellowish powder and seems frustrated.

"It's not as funny as it looks" he says stepping aside to let her in.

"I'm sure it isn't" she replies sarcastically setting down the grocery bag she has with the wine and pie in it. "I thought I was responsible for the food." She looks around and sees several pots on the stove.

"I figured I could surprise you with my amazing cooking skills. If I do remember correctly, you did love my deviled eggs" he says with a smirk.

"You didn't?" she asks excitedly.

"I did" he says.

"You are amazing" she says and kisses him on the cheek.

"Well if this is what I get for some eggs, I might have to step up and cook you like a lobster or something" says Hyde winking at her.

"Don't push it." Jackie walks over by the record player and turns it down a bit. "Will it be much longer? I don't mean to rush you but I am starving."

"Starving? Isn't that a "fat girl" might do?" Jackie laughs. Leave it to Hyde to reference their first meeting at the diner weeks ago. It seems like an eternity ago after everything that's happened with them and Jason. Hyde smiles and informs her that the food should be ready in twenty minutes.

Jackie walks over to the living room and sits on the couch. "Hey" she yells to him, "do you mind if I turn on the television? I think an episode of the show is on and I kind of want to watch it again."

"Sure" says Hyde from the kitchen. He walks over to the record player and turns it off so she can hear the t.v. better. He walks back to the kitchen and begins stirring a few pots. It's amazing to him that he has been giving a chance to have Jackie back in his life. Even if they are not together in the way he wants them to be, he is completely content just spending time with her. She looks towards the couch and sees her laughing at the show. He can't help but smile and be grateful for the opportunity to see her happy again.

A few minutes later, Jackie yells over to him again. "Steven, come here, quick!"

He heads over to the living room and stands behind the couch. They both stare quietly at the television where the show has been interrupted for a special announcement. The reporter is speaking about Led Zeppelin and is reading a message released by the band:

"We wish it to be known that the loss of our dear friend, and the deep sense of undivided harmony felt by ourselves and our manager, have led us to decide that we could not continue as we were."

"The message is simply signed Led Zeppelin" says the reporter. "Many see this message as an official statement of disbandment. Led Zeppelin, who lost drummer John Bonham almost three months ago have canceled several shows. It appears as though this truly is the end of Led Zeppelin. Stay tuned for further developments in the story."

Jackie looks up at Hyde who seems as though he got sucker punched in the stomach. "Steven, are you alright?"

Hyde takes off his glasses and rubs his eyes. He inhales and exhales a few times before nodding his head. "I'm fine" he replies as he turns back and walks towards the kitchen.

Jackie gets off the couch and follows him. She wraps her arms around his chest as he starts stirring pots again. She leans her head on his back and can feel him breathing in and out. "It's okay to be upset, they're your favorite band."

Hyde turns around and takes her hands in his. He smiles and says "I'm find, honestly."

"You sure?" she says not yet convinced.

Hyde takes a few seconds to really look into her eyes. It has been so long since he has really looked at her and appreciated every part of her. Even though she is still familiar, so many things about her and unknown to him and he wants desperately to rediscover her. He wants to know everything about her like he once did.

Not being able to stop himself, he cups her face in his hands and places a soft but passionate kiss on her lips. The ex-lovers revel in each others passion for a few seconds before he breaks away from her. Her eyes are still closed and he smiles. No matter how different they both were, one thing remains the same after all this time—they have an insane amount of chemistry. She opens her eyes and smiles at him. He kisses her forehead and says "I'm great doll."

**The End.**


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